page_title: Jaggery
section_title: South Asia (Indian subcontinent) and Southeast Asia
hierarchical_section_title: Jaggery / Uses / South Asia (Indian subcontinent) and Southeast Asia
caption_attribution_description: English: Bellam paakam in Done. picture taken at Damal cheruvu.
context_page_description: Jaggery is a traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in Asia. It is a concentrated product of cane juice and often date or palm sap without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in colour, and is similar to the Latin American panela. It contains up to 50% sucrose, up to 20% invert sugars, and up to 20% moisture, with the remainder made up of other insoluble matter, such as wood ash, proteins, and bagasse fibres.
context_section_description: Jaggery is used as an ingredient in sweet and savoury dishes in the cuisines of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. For example, a pinch of it is sometimes added to sambar, rasam and other staples 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 thal hakuru (තල් හකුරු). Jaggery made from sugarcane syrup is considered inferior to these types of palm syrup based jaggery varieties, and the term jaggery (හකුරු) is generally understood in the country to refer to palm syrup based jaggery rather than sugarcane jaggery.
  Maharashtra in India is the largest producer and consumer of jaggery (gur (गुड़) in Hindi, "gul" (गुळ) in Marathi, "gur" (گڑھ) in Urdu, "bellam" (బెల్లం) in Telugu, and bella (ಬೆಲ್ಲ) in Kannada) and In Tamil “Vellam”(வெல்லம்)
  Kolhapur is one of the largest producers of jaggery in India and has a GI Tag for Jaggery. 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, jaggery is known as gôḷ (ગોળ); during Makara Sankranti, a similar preparation 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 a hot sun.In Indian culture during new year feast jaggery based sweets are made and before starting a feast Neem leaves and jaggery are consumed together symbolising life neem which is bitter in taste as hurdles in our life and jaggery sweet in taste as happiness in life 
  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. AnA 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 like chakkara pongal ,milk Pongal (prepared with rice, milk, jaggery). During Sankranti they prepare 'Ariselhwhich is an authentic Andhra Pradesh dish and In Tamilnadu Ellurundai (sesame balls) , Adhirasam and pori vilangu urundai (puffed rice balls) are prepared as offering to god called prasadam during puja and festivals like diwali,Tamil new year,Janmashtami etc. 
  l)A sweet liquid called "Paanakam", made of water, jaggery and peppercorns is  prepared as the favorite offering to Lord Rama on the auspicious SreeRaamaNavami 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.
  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 kalhi, to sweeten fruit salads and payasam (sweet milk) 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
caption: Semisolid sugarcane juice drying in another pan for preparation of jaggery: a practice in India
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