Talk:Jaggery

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Disputed Health Benefits
"Jaggery is considered as a wholesome sugar and unlike refined sugar retains more mineral salts making it much healthier. Moreover, the process is natural without the use of chemicals. It is medicinally considered to be much safer and is beneficial in treating throat and lung infections." -- By whom? I'm further exceedingly skeptical of the claim that it's beneficial in treating infections. I'd like to see a citation of these facts, or the sentences should be reworded to "Some consider" to make it clear that its supposedly health benefits are somewhat disputed. This sounds like typical health nut "it's natural so it must be good" chatter, IMHO. --FreelanceWizard 02:37, 29 August 2005 (UTC)

Study from the Industrial Toxicology Research Centre in Lucknow
Here's a study from the Industrial Toxicology Research Centre in Lucknow, India. It is entitled "Enhanced Translocation of Particles from Lungs by Jaggery". As near as I can tell, it is a true study of the effects of Jaggery on foreign particulate matter in the lungs.

Their findings stated "The effect of carbohydrates on fibrogenesis is not as well studied as the effects related to nucleic acids or proteins, but it does appear that jaggery and its constituents are capable of enhancing the defense mechanisms of the lungs and protecting them against lesions induced by dust particles."

Strange as it may seem, it looks as if Jaggery actually DOES have positive effects on the health. http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/members/1994/Suppl-5/sahu-full.html -- Nortonew 18:09, 25 November 2005 (UTC)
 * Yup, ask any carpenter, labourer who works in dusty environments, and he would confirm it.--Today&#39;s mighty oak is just yesterday&#39;s nut, which held its ground 14:10, 1 September 2006 (UTC)
 * However, such reports would not generally be verifiable, which is why we needed the citation from a reputable journal to remove whichever thing I tagged it as long ago (I think dubious). That's long since handled, however. ;) --FreelanceWizard 09:14, 2 September 2006 (UTC)
 * How cool is that. ;) Okay, I'll make the changes and add that citation. --FreelanceWizard 21:24, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

Ambiguous spellings
What is the spelling of the Hindi word for jaggery? I found 2 different spellings in the article: "gur" in the text and "gud" in the caption of a pic. Experts please verify. -- DaCentaur


 * In Punjab (and North India), I have not heard anyone say "gud"........I think in the caption, it may have been a typo, as R and D keys too are next to each other....In my opinion it is "gur"--Nothing is free in this world (talk) 02:10, 11 April 2008 (UTC)

This is a linguistic subtlety regarding modern Hindi-Urdu, leading to a conflation between the ड and र sounds. These are originally Devanagari symbols for "da" and "ra" respectively, but Persian influence in the middle ages have brought the nuqta. Speakers conflating dotted and undotted consonants have led to a lot of confusion. Nidhishunnikrishnan (talk) 18:49, 11 December 2019 (UTC)

my mother language is hindi and as far as i know we pronounce it gud.103.130.91.2 (talk) 11:55, 2 June 2022 (UTC)

Used as an excellent & tastier alternative to sugar
—The preceding unsigned comment was added by DaCentaur (talk • contribs).
 * If that phrase were to be added, it would be POV unless backed up by some cited evidence on preferences. It's obviously used as an alternative to sugar, of course, by inclusion in its category and by the text. While it may be tastier to you, it certainly isn't to me, and possibly to others; what's an excellent and tasty alternative is a matter of opinion, not fact. FreelanceWizard 03:59, 26 July 2006 (UTC)

Name in South India
Jaggery is called Vellam with a V and not B in Tamil... So the spelling Bellam is either wrong or used by minor sub sections...

Ridiculous Citation Request
"Jaggery is also considered auspicious in many parts of India, and is eaten raw before commencement of good work or any important new venture.[citation needed]"

What do you mean citation needed? I didnt put this in, but I am from India and it is an unquestioned fact in most parts of India (maybe that should be specified). It is an obvious part of the Indian culture, since jaggery was the traditional sweetner before refined sugars became available.

Asking for citation is akin to asking for some kind of written recognition for this from the western media. I think this is ridiculous. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 67.186.153.25 (talk • contribs).


 * The fact is that most people reading this article are NOT from India and are trying to learn about the subject. The nature of Wikipedia is that anyone can make an edit to an article. If I wanted to I could put something silly in the article like, "Jaggery, when rubbed into the bellybutton, produces a feeling of euphoria." Without a citation, I have no way to evaluate whether the information given is factual or nonsense. It's intended for the best interest of the article and isn't meant as a personal affront to people who personally know about the subject. For more on the subject, read Verifiability. By the way, I didn't put up the citation needed tag, I'm just trying to help out :-). --Elipongo 15:10, 3 December 2006 (UTC)


 * 67.186.153.25, is "raw, sweet food before commencement of good work or any important new venture" the obvious part of Indian culture that you're talking about? If so, and if every English speaker in the world intuitively understands that obvious tradition or superstition or whatever it is (I don't even know), then, sure, I see your point about jaggery being the oldest sweet. But: To what non-Indian is the rest of it "obvious"? I don't even know what events you and the original poster are talking about! Signing a contract? Joining the Army? Having a surgical operation? Face it: I don't even know what's "obvious" to other native English-speakers in my own country, so, if someone is going to claim that it's customary to lasso the trophy at the end of the rodeo, how the crap am I (or YOU) supposed to know if it's for real or not! Citations, that's how. The English speaking world is very huge, 67.186.153.25, and people like you have to stop thinking everyone else owes some extraordinary sensitivity. 68.124.137.173 02:30, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Other nations
Burma is mentioned as a place where toddy palm syrup is used to make jaggery, but I believe this is also done in Vietnam, Thailand, and other mainland Southeast Asian nations. Badagnani 00:21, 6 August 2007 (UTC)

WikiProject class rating
This article was automatically assessed because at least one WikiProject had rated the article as start, and the rating on other projects was brought up to start class. BetacommandBot 18:16, 9 November 2007 (UTC)

Alternative spelling
There is an alternative spelling of "jaggeree", which, as far as Google can tell me, exists mainly in a short story by Edgar Allen Poe. I mention this as I've just been all around the internet trying to find out what on earth "jaggeree" was before ending up here. I doubt I'm the only one - so hopefully a reference here will draw people to this fine article. --Waynemarkstubbs (talk) 15:19, 26 December 2007 (UTC)

Name in Pakistan
Jaggery is NOT called DESI in Pakistan. In Pakistan too, it's called GUR just as India. So the word DESI used for Jaggery is either wrong or used by minor sub sections. On the other hand, the word DESI refers to the people, things and culture of the South Asian diaspora. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 221.132.115.213 (talk) 00:22, 5 April 2009 (UTC)

merge from rapadura
Rapadura seems to be just the Brazilian name of jaggery. However the section "Rapadura controversy" in that article could be made into a separate article, since it is not about the food but about trade regulations. All the best, --Jorge Stolfi (talk) 14:26, 19 February 2010 (UTC)

✅ -- D ark C row Caw 13:39, 1 June 2012 (UTC)

The term "jaggery" is very general and it is advisable to create a section for "Toddy Palm Jaggery" which is reportedly more nutritious than the commonly known sugarcane jaggery. [Ref: http://www.fao.org/ag/aga/AGAP/FRG/ECONF95/HTML/TODDY.HTM] Thanks! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.107.230.30 (talk) 05:15, 22 October 2012 (UTC)

Merger proposal
This was closed on 12 July 2013. Archived. Moonraker12 (talk) 11:54, 13 August 2013 (UTC) Panela should be merged into Jaggery as it is a regional varient of the same foodstuff; same rationale from previous merge of Rapadura. -- D ark C row Caw 13:51, 1 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Jaggery may also describe palm sugar (as it says in the Jaggery article, and it says in the Coconut sugar article that in at least some places that the terms for palm and coconut sugars are used interchangeably even though the production methods and tastes are different. I'm in favor of a merger of all four articles because some of the articles are too short, and they have much in common, and maintaining them separately would be an ongoing affair. 68.174.97.122 (talk) 21:28, 22 July 2012 (UTC)


 * I agree. I do not yet see a reason to keep these articles separate. All of them, BTW, need lots of help. Drmies (talk) 02:57, 23 July 2012 (UTC)
 * I have no expertise on sugar but it makes sense that maintaining them separately would be more difficult. Also keep in mind that there was a request to merge all of these into brown sugar a while ago.  For the record, I don't think that's a good idea, although I'm no expert on the subject.   &#x0288;  u coxn \ talk 22:16, 8 October 2012 (UTC)
 * I agree, since panela is the MEXICAN word for jaggery. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 200.46.17.35 (talk • contribs) 15:45, 7 February 2013
 * ( comment placed, then withdrawn, by 27.33.180.172 at 15:56, 11 March 2013 )
 * Disagree. Jaggery was traditionally a palm sugar (see dictionary definitions ), produced in Asia, although now sometimes made from sugar cane. Rapadura and panela are produced in Latin America from sugar cane, never from palms. While all 3 are unrefined sugars usually formed into solid blocks, they are culturally distinct and originally from different plants. Some merging may be appropriate (i.e., merging palm sugar and jaggery, merging panela and piloncillo), but unless it's all going to get merged to something like unrefined sugar or non-centrifugal sugar the Asian palm sugar should be kept distinct from the Latin American cane sugar. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Plantdrew (talk • contribs) 20:23, 18 April 2013
 * Disagree: "Panela" is not the Mexican word for "Jaggery" at all.
 * One is a palm sugar product from Asia, the other a cane sugar product from Latin America. They may be similar products, but then, they both also have similarities to a Sugarloaf, which is something else again. But there’s no evidence that I can see that the Latin American Panela is derived from, nor owes any heritage or history to, the Asian Jaggery.
 * But as this is the English WP the issue, surely, is whether either of these are the common generic term for these things. Is the Latin American product commonly known as "Jaggery" in the English-speaking world? Is the Asian product called "Panela"? Or are both names used for the individual products?
 * As for any grounds for a merge, there is no Overlap, as I've already outlined. Nor is there any Duplication; much of the articles in question are about on the cultural and economic aspects of the stuff specific to their regions. And both articles are beyond stub size and have room to expand.
 * So, no...Moonraker12 (talk) 14:02, 25 April 2013 (UTC)


 * I also disagree, basically for the reasons given by Moonraker12 and Plantdrew above. According to Randy Mosher's Radical Brewing (http://www.amazon.com/Radical-Brewing-Recipes-World-Altering-Meditations/dp/0937381837), jaggery is properly a palm sugar, while panela/piloncillo is a cane sugar.  Motorneuron (talk) 15:43, 10 May 2013 (UTC)


 * Closed. This merge proposal was closed by Candleabracadabra with this edit on 12 July 2013, there being (presumably) no consensus for the merge: So I am archiving it. Moonraker12 (talk) 11:50, 13 August 2013 (UTC)

Edit needed in opening sentence?
Opening sentence says : "Jaggery (made gud from glass and alcohol)". This does not make sense. Can somebody edit please? thanks! Sorry but I don't know what it's supposed to mean so can't do the edit myself. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 137.108.145.40 (talk) 11:39, 15 April 2013 (UTC)

what is it made from?
The first sentence says it is cane sugar, the second sentence says it is made from date, cane, or palm. Which is it? --Richardson mcphillips (talk) 03:02, 7 February 2017 (UTC)

both. there is cane jaggery and palm jaggery.103.130.91.2 (talk) 12:04, 2 June 2022 (UTC)

Photos vs text
According to the text, it is poured from the boiling container into concrete troughs. However, every photo showing the process very clearly shows it being poured into some sort of wooden frame. Perhaps the text needs to be extended to recognize that concrete troughs may not be the most common container? Or are the pictures the rare exception? If so, do they serve as good examples, being such oddities? One or the other may need a bit of modification from someone more in the know about such things. 69.255.61.212 (talk) 07:17, 20 September 2017 (UTC)
 * I have removed 'concrete'. I do not think there is any need to be more specific. Verbcatcher (talk) 21:41, 22 September 2017 (UTC)

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