South Asia Jaggery is used as an ingredient in sweet and savoury dishes in the cuisines of India,
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka,
Afghanistan and
Iran. For example, a pinch of it is sometimes added to
sambar, rasam and other common dishes in
Udupi cuisine. Jaggery is added to lentil soups (
dāl) to add sweetness to balance the spicy, salty, and sour components, particularly in
Gujarati cuisine. In Sri Lanka, jaggery is usually made using the syrup of the
kithul palm tree, or from
coconut syrup. The respective names in Sinhalese are
kitul hakuru (කිතුල් හකුරු) and
pol hakuru (පොල් හකුරු). Jaggery from the syrup of the
palmyrah palm is more prominent in the northern part of the country; this is referred to as palmyrah jaggery or
panangkaruppatti (பனங்கருப்பட்டி) in
Tamil. Jaggery made from sugarcane syrup is considered inferior to palm syrup-based jaggery varieties, and the term jaggery (கருப்பட்டி) is generally understood in the country to refer to the latter. Most vegetable dishes,
curries, and
dals, and many desserts, contain it. Jaggery is especially used during
Makar Sankranti for making a dessert called
tilgul. In
Gujarat, a similar preparation known called
tal na ladu or
tal sankli is made. In rural Maharashtra and Karnataka, water and a piece of jaggery are given to a person arriving home from working under the hot sun. In Andhra, Telangana and Karnataka, on
Ugadi festival day (New Year), Ugadi pachadi is made from jaggery and five other ingredients (shad ruchulu- sweet, sour, salt, tangy, spice and bitter) and is consumed symbolizing life is a mixture of happiness, disgust, fear, surprise, anger and sadness. Molasses (काकवी), a byproduct of the production of jaggery, is used in rural Maharashtra and Karnataka as a sweetener. It contains many minerals not found in ordinary sugar and is considered beneficial to health in traditional
Ayurvedic medicine. It is an ingredient of many sweet delicacies, such as
gur ke chawal/
chol ("jaggery rice"), a traditional
Rajasthani or
Punjabi dish. In Gujarat,
laddus are made from wheat flour and jaggery. A well-known Maharashtrian recipe,
puran poli, uses it as a sweetener apart from sugar. Jaggery is considered an easily available sweet which is shared on any good occasion. In
engagement ceremonies, small particles of it are mixed with
coriander seeds (ધાણા). Hence, in many Gujarati communities, engagement is commonly known by the
metonym gol-dhana (ગોળ-ધાણા), literally "jaggery and coriander seeds". Jaggery is used extensively in South India to balance the pungency of spicy foods. In
Andhra Pradesh and
Tamil Nadu it is used for sweets such as
chakkara pongal and milk
pongal, which are prepared with rice, milk, and jaggery. During
Sankranti,
ariselu, an authentic Andhra Pradesh dish, is prepared. In Tamil Nadu,
ellurundai (sesame balls),
adhirasam and
pori vilangu urundai (puffed rice balls) are prepared as an offering, called
prasadam, to god during Puja and festivals such as
Diwali,
Tamil New Year and
Janmashtami. A sweet liquid called
paanakam, made of water, jaggery and peppercorns, is prepared as the favorite offering to Lord Rama during
Rama Navami festival. In
Kerala, it is considered auspicious and is widely used in cooking. It is a vital ingredient in many varieties of
payasam, a sweet dish. The state of Kerala as 2 GI tagged jaggeries by the name of
Central Travancore jaggery and
Marayoor jaggery In
Tamil Nadu, jaggery is used exclusively as a sweetener. It is used in a dish called
chakkarai pongal. It is prepared during the festival of
Pongal (Thai Pongal), which is held when the harvesting season begins. It is used to make
kali, to sweeten fruit salads and
payasam that are offered to the gods. Jaggery is used in religious rituals. In rural areas, cane jaggery and palm jaggery are used to sweeten beverages, whereas refined sugar has replaced it in urban areas. In
Odia cuisine, cakes or
piṭhas contain jaggery. Pithas like Arisa pitha are made out of jaggery called guda in Odia. Kakara pitha contains coconut filings which are caramelized using jaggery. Guda is also added to rice flakes known as
chuda and eaten for breakfast. Some marmalade made of mango and
dillenia contain the ingredient. In
Bengali cuisine, it is commonly used in making sweet dishes, some of which mix jaggery with milk and coconut. Popular sweet dishes such as
laḍḍu/
laṛu or
paṭishapta piṭha mix it with coconut shreds. Jaggery is molded into novel shapes as a type of candy. The same preparation of sweets have been made in the neighbouring state of
Assam. Some of the popular sweet dishes of Assam such as
til-pitha (made of rice powder, sesame and jaggery), other rice-based
pitha, and
payas are made of jaggery. In some villages of Assam, people drink salty red tea with a cube of
gurd (jaggery), which is popularly called
cheleka-chah (licking tea). Traditional
Karnataka sweets, such as
paayasa,
obbattu (
holige) and
unday use different kinds of jaggery. A pinch is commonly added to
sambar (also known as
huli saaru) and
rasam (also known as
saaru). Karnataka produces sugar and palm-based jaggery.
Muzaffarnagar in
Uttar Pradesh has the largest jaggery market in the world along with having a GI Tag for
Muzaffarnagar jaggery, followed by
Anakapalle in the Visakhapatnam District in Andhra Pradesh. The
Kolhapur District in western Maharashtra is famous for its jaggery, which is yellow and much sought after in Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Mandya in Karnataka is known for its jaggery production.
Southeast Asia In Myanmar, jaggery, called
htanyet () in
Burmese, is harvested from
toddy palm syrup. In central Myanmar and around
Bagan (Pagan), toddy syrup is collected solely for making jaggery. The translucent white syrup is boiled until it becomes golden brown and then made into bite-size pieces. It is considered a sweet and is eaten by children and adults alike, usually in the afternoon with a pot of
green tea. It has been referred to locally as Burmese chocolate. Toddy palm jaggery is sometimes mixed with coconut shreds,
jujube puree or
sesame, depending on the area. This type of jaggery is used in
Burmese cooking, usually to add colour and enrich the food.
Other uses Other uses include jaggery toffees and jaggery cake made with pumpkin preserve, cashew nuts, peanuts and spices. Jaggery may be used in the creation of alcoholic beverages such as
palm wine. Besides being a food, jaggery may be used (mixed in an emulsion with buttermilk and mustard oil) to season the inside of
tandoor ovens. Jaggery is used in natural dyeing of fabric. It is also used in
hookahs in rural areas of Pakistan and India. ==Nutrition==