! Jaggery !

Sweet, pure, unbleached, all natural and healthy ! Jaggery is one of the few healthy natural sweetners which can be consumed directly or even as an ingredient in many of the baked goods which we all love to eat. The fact that the sweetner is not treated or has sulpur added to it and is the raw form of a sugar product is what makes it a healthier option to have.

Jaggery
is made by concentrating cane sugar juice and cooking it on a direct heat. The same is also made by reducing the juice of date or palm sap. Jaggery is made after the caramalised liquid sets and then is set into different shapes. Apart from being economical, it is healthy and easy to use as well. Certain variations of the same are available with added spices such as fennel and are consumed after meals both as a sweet tooth solution and also cuz it helps in digestion as well.

Jaggery in Indian cuisine, particularly south indian cuisine is added to sambhar and rasam and is a go to ingredient for Gujrati cuisine as it gives a little sweetness to spicy curries. This makes jaggery a versatile ingredient for all asian cuisine.

PRODUCTION OF JAGGERY

While jaggery may be cooked in steps, the complete process can be read and studied on “Heat Transfer Study in Steps of Jaggery Making Process.” What may seem as a very high temperature in the making of jaggery, it is also known as the soft ball stage in the cooking of sugar. The method however is same in judging the cooking consistency and stage of both which is – when immersed or dropped in a bowl of cold water, the mixture solidifies but remains soft and malleable or moldable.

Jaggery in the open market is available in two forms – white and brown jaggery. While both maybe made from the same ingredient to start with such as sugarcane, brown jaggery is one which doesn’t have the molasses removed but also has caramalised during the cooking process and has taken on color. Yellow jaggery is the one which “may be” subjected to chemical refinement processes.

While it is known by many names, the way it is made is almost the same in every region it is made. Some of the “popular” names are as follows:

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1. Gur: India.
2. Panela: Colombia.
3. Piloncillo: Mexico.
4. Tapa dulce: Costa Rica.
5. Namtan tanode: Thailand.
6. Gula Melaka: Malaysia.
7. Kokuto: Japan.

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The making of jaggery involves three simple yet skillful steps which convert ordinary sugar cane juice into a sweet delight which can be used as an ingredient, as a sweetner, or just as a sweet dessert on its own. The three steps are

1. Extraction : Sugar canes are pressed to extract the juice and then the juice is collected in large vats. To reduce the cost of fuel needed to cook the juice, the left over pulp or the cane is burnt to cook the juice on a flame,locally.
2. Clarification : Clarification helps reduce the amount of heavy impurities which are present in the juice and is done with the help of gravity, as the juice stands in the vats, the sediments settle down and allow the clear juice to be easily strained. Local manufacturers sometimes skip this step and clear the juice while cooking by skimming the sediments that rise up while boiling.
3. Concentration : Which brings us to the most important and the skiillful step in the jaggery making process. By heating the juice, moisture is removed and by caramelization the liquid cane juice gets crystallised to form jaggery. The same is then poured into mouldsa or left as is to be cut into shapes after it has cooled down.

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Benefits of Jaggery!

• Good Gut Feeling! – Imrpoved Digestion.
  Consumed as a after dinner sweet substitute, Jaggery is considered good for the digestive tract as it aids in the process of digestion. Although it does not have a high fiber content, added ingredients in some varients such as fennel may be a contributing factor.

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• Don’t Forget – Prevents Anemia
  Rich in Iron and the fact that it has 12% of the daily RDI, jaggery contains 11 mg of iron per 100 grams. Keeping in mind , that iron in raw form and not the processed sugar form is absorbed by the body better makes it a great source!!

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• Energise! – Good source of Energy
  Considered as one of the easiest and best sources of quick bursts of energy – Sugar – Glucose ! Well thats what jaggery is as well. It is a good source for sucrose and the fact that it is not chemically treated makes it a clean source as well.

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Some recipes of the ingredient at avaialable on our “Recipes” Page . Head on over to savour the flavor of the same.
Also, let us know if you would like any ingredient you want us to feature on the blog so we can spread the word. And as always
Let’s Take Ingredients ONE At A Time