Thursday, June 9, 2011

Benefits of Jaggery


Benefits of Jaggery
Jaggery is a coarse, dark sugar, which is made from
the sap of East Indian palm trees. 
Jaggery  is a  product  of both sugarcane and the
palm tree. Jaggery is an ingredient that is used 
 both in  sweet and savory dishes across India
 and Sri Lanka.
The  Indian state of Maharashtra is the largest
producer and consumer of jaggery. 
In rural Maharashtra, water and a piece of
jaggery is given when someone arrives
home from working under a hot sun.
Jaggery has a religious significance.
Many of the festivals are incomplete without
Jaggery,  as it is offered to the deity during worship.
Jaggery is also considered auspicious in many parts 
of India, and is eaten raw before commencement of 
good work or any important new venture, or after
good news are shared by family and friends.
Indian Ayurvedic medicine considers jaggery 
beneficial in treating throat and lung
infections. Jaggery or “Gur” or whole sugar is a pure, wholesome, traditional, unrefined, whole sugar.  
It contains the natural goodness of minerals and vitamins inherently present in sugarcane  juice & this crowns it 
as one of the most wholesome and healthy sugars
in the world.
It Mexico & South America, it is also known
as ‘panela.’
Jaggery is as important as sugar in Indian cookery.
It has a special flavour that cannot really be substituted 
by sugar although brown or demerara sugar is the
closest equivalent in appearance and taste.

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