Who doesn’t like to eat jaggery in winter? Everyone eats jaggery or includes it in their food. Actually, jaggery contains a good amount of iron which works to increase heat along with increasing the amount of blood in the body.
Apart from this, people can prepare and eat jaggery sweets, jaggery kheer and all kinds of things in winter. But, do you know where jaggery comes from? How is jaggery made and why is it of different colours? So let us know the types of jaggery and then know which jaggery is beneficial for health.
Where did jaggery come from? Where did jaggery come from?
Jaggery is very tasty and 55% of the world’s jaggery is produced in India only. Jaggery is actually unrefined sugar obtained from various plants. This is a type of natural sugar. You can also see it in the form of sugar molasses. You can divide the types of jaggery according to the source from which it is made. Apart from this, there are types of jaggery according to these plants. Come, let us know about this in detail.
Types of jaggery
Jaggery is prepared in many ways as jaggery becomes sweeter as the temperature falls. Because when the temperature is low, the sap that comes out from the tree is sweet and then it is in large quantity. For example, a special type of jaggery is found in Bengal which is called Jhola jaggery or also called Nolen jaggery. But, this is just one type of jaggery. In fact, apart from this, there are many types of jaggery. What are these, know in detail.
Sugarcane Jaggery
Making sugarcane jaggery is very easy. This type of jaggery depends on the juice of the sugarcane and its sweetness. For jaggery, sugarcane is crushed and juice is extracted. This extract is filtered in a large flat vessel. Then it is continuously boiled and churned in an iron vessel, and the impurities rising to the top are removed. The process is completed once it reaches a honey-like consistency. This sticky liquid is then transferred to moulds, where it is left to cool. After this people eat it. It is light golden in colour.
Coconut Jaggery
To make coconut jaggery, unfermented coconut juice is used, which is then filtered, heated, crystallized and poured into individual molds. It is slightly solid jaggery which is slowly crystallized and hardened. This coconut jaggery is widely consumed in South India and people can include it in different recipes. As it is made from coconut juice, it contains a lot of magnesium and iron. It is commonly known as ‘Madda’ or Suri Jaggery. It is often seen to be in the shape of a pyramid (goa pyramid jaggery) and by looking at it you will understand from a distance that it is coconut jaggery. It is widely used in making many Goan dishes and things like Puran Poli.
Palm Jaggery
Date jaggery is more expensive than other jaggery. There are many sweets in Bengal and especially it is included in Bengali Sandesh. This date jaggery is very tasty and eating it will make you happy. This jaggery is made especially in winter. For this, some special people prepare this jaggery by extracting juice from date palm trees.
To make this jaggery, a wound is made on a palm tree with a tip and an earthen pot is hung from there to extract the juice. The lower the temperature, the sweeter the juice and the tastier the jaggery. For date palm jaggery, the sap is also collected from the bark of the tree. Palm jaggery is traditionally cooled in clean coconut shells. It looks like a dome shaped mound. It smells very strong and looks very thick and brown in colour.
Which type of jaggery is good for health?
Palm Jaggery is best to eat. Even for those who want to lose weight or avoid eating sweets, palm jaggery is perfect. This is because it has the lowest glycemic index (GI).
-Palm jaggery glycemic index is GI 35.
-Sugarcane Jaggery GI is 60.76±35.80.
-Coconut jaggery (pure coconut jaggery) GI is 65.19±36.53.
So eat palm jaggery. It is rich in minerals and vitamins. The amount of fructose and glucose in this jaggery is more than other jaggery. If we compare these three types of jaggery, palm jaggery is considered the healthiest. It is helpful in keeping the body warm and dealing with seasonal flu. It is an immunity builder and is beneficial for health in every way. So eat jaggery and increase body heat.
Recipe made from jaggery-Jaggery Recipe in Hindi
You can make and eat all these things with jaggery, such as
-Jaggery kheer
-Jaggery dumpling
-Jaggery laddus
-jaggery tea
Apart from this, you can prepare many things from jaggery and eat it. These are very tasty to eat and are also energy boosters. So to get all these benefits, you must eat all the things made from jaggery in winter. let us know further