Your beloved superfood jaggery has a variety of its own, check the guide inside to know its benefits!

Highlights:

• The nutrient-rich jaggery is incredibly beneficial with nutraceutical elements for a healthy life.

• The five common varieties of jaggery in India: coconut, black, khejurer, tadgola, marayoor and sugarcane.

• A mention of how to consume each. How does it add to nutrition and health?

A 2021 research article from Sugar Tech explains how value addition and fortification in Jaggery, the non-centrifugal sugar, can make it a potential source of Functional and nutraceutical foods. Jaggery is said to be nutraceutical due to the concentration of amino acids, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals like calcium, iron, and phosphorus. It can be further enhanced by value addition and fortification of herbs and spices that have medicinal properties ^[1]. 

Moreover, it helps in digestion, liver cleansing, constipation, blood purification, energy boost, as well as relief with tension ^[2]. 

Jaggery has been known to man for 3000 years now ^[1]. Did you know that there is much more than the sugarcane jaggery alone? Did you know that jaggery has a long list of varieties eaten across India? Panela, jaggery, kokuto, hakura, and rapadura are its different names worldwide. 

But there are as many as 6 varieties of jaggery, the desi ‘Gur’ to exist in India. Jaggery is savored as the ultimate superfood in rural parts of the country. Packed with the most important vitamins and minerals, jaggery has no particular way to be consumed. You can add it as a sweetener in all the delicacies you make or even start by replacing sugar. Plus, it keeps you warm, too. Thus, there is no way that you cannot incorporate the ‘Gur’ into your diet.

First, let us have a look at all the available varieties of Gur, where they belong, and how you can also savor them. Check it out here:

Coconut jaggery

Add the coconut jaggery for sweetness, but that will ultimately take care of your glycemic index as well. 

The coconut jaggery comes from the Southern part of India. It is made with the coconut tree sap by boiling and extracting the nectar from it. Coconut jaggery is added for a nutty and caramel flavor. If you are consuming coconut jaggery, have it in moderation. It is mostly added for a coconut taste to the ladoos, sweetness to the smoothies, or any other baked item, and as a substitute for sugar in beverages. And obviously, the coconut barfi is incomplete without the coconut jaggery powder.

• Power-packed with benefits like a boost in energy levels, at the same time enhancing digestion. This fine jaggery has a low glycemic index and is rich in antioxidants ^[3].

• Having antioxidant and nutritional properties, coconut sap is a better and potential source of sugar than other natural sources like sugarcane and sugar palm ^[3]. 

Tadgola (Ice apple) jaggery

Make your sweets and drinks delicious and nourishing with the Tadgola jaggery of Maharashtra

Down from the west, the Tadgola jaggery is made in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala. It is made from the nectar or sap of the palmyra palm. The Tadgola jaggery is widely known and appreciated for the delightful, creamy, sweet, and smoky flavor it adds to any delicacy. It is also known as the Tal gur, Karupatti, or palm jaggery, and is made from the ice apple. Tadgola jaggery is most commonly used in drinks and sweets by the locals.

• This jaggery is nutritious, helps in the internal cleansing of the body, and even nourishes the skin. This is based on traditional knowledge and the nutrition principles in general. 

• But if we talk about the benefits of an ice apple, there are many. An ice apple is rich in micronutrients like potassium, calcium as well as magnesium ^[4]. 

• It contains 43 kcal per 100 g, 11g carbohydrates, 0.8g protein, 0.1g fats, and 1g fiber too ^[5].

• Ice apple is hydrating with cooling properties, nutrient-dense, beneficial for constipation, and has some potential skin benefits as well. But, do consider it side effects like gastrointestinal issues, allergies, and a spike in blood sugar levels^[5]. 

Khejurer Gur

Sandesh blends in an exotic, savory taste with the Khejurer Gur 

From the eastern east, Bengal and Orissa is the local favorite jaggery, the Khejurer Gur. It is made with the date palm sweet sap, as the name khejurer for khajoor and gur for jaggery. The Khejurer gur is available as patali (solid) and nolen or jhola (liquid).

For a deep caramel flavor, the Khejurur Gur is a must-have in Bengali cuisine. It is very important for Pitha preparation. Famous Bengali sweets like Sandesh and Patishapta get their exotic flavor from the khejurur gur only.

• The added benefits of the Khejurur Gur are visible in skin and hair, headaches, blood pressure, and menstrual pain issues ^[6].

• Especially, when it comes to a cure for cough and cold, then the Khejurer Gur is very helpful ^[6]. 

Black jaggery

All the way from Konkan to your tea, coffee, payasam, and other beverages…

Down from the Konkan and the beach state, the black jaggery is made in Goa from the locally grown sugarcane. It has that robust, smoky, and earthy feel. Black jaggery is mostly used in tea, coffee, sweet payasam, and other desserts. It can also be sprinkled over biscuits and cookies.

• The unrefined sweetener is consumed for the innumerable benefits it has. Firstly, it improves digestion, then boosts the iron levels, keeping you aloof from anemia, and improving the skin, respiratory, and bone health ^[7].

• Not only this, black jaggery is a natural detoxifier serving as a go-to energy source ^[7].

Marayoor jaggery

The Muthuva tribe in Idduki, Kerala, cultivates the sugarcane crop that is used to extract juice for the Marayoor jaggery 

This variety of jaggery is made in Kerala’s downward Western Ghat mountain region from fresh sugarcane juice. The crop is grown in Marayoor and Kanthaloor, Idduki district, by the Muthuva tribe. It is a kind of a prized crop in the town of Marayoor, hence the name.

The Marayoor jaggery is natural and high quality, with an undertone of brown or dark brown color and a non-sticky touch. It has a characteristic taste that is sweet in a non-salty manner. Kerala sweets are not made without Marayoor jaggery.

• Marayoor jaggery is rich with nutrients like iron, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. Being rich with antioxidants, Marayoor jaggery also helps with chronic diseases ^[8].

• Along with boosting energy levels as well as immunity, Marayoor jaggery is helpful in digestion and internal cleansing. This natural source of iron essentially prevents its deficiency^[8].   

• The natural Marayoor Jaggery is used in Ayurvedic medicines with mentions in the Rig Veda and Ayurvedic texts ^[9]. 

The universal ‘Sugarcane’ jaggery

Sweet and salty munch on with Sugarcane jaggery that is packed with nutrition. 

The common ‘gur, ’ which is available all across India, is the sugarcane jaggery. It is naturally and refined made from the sugarcane juice, where we crush it to extract the juice, then filter and boil, and cool it when it turns into solid blocks. The sugarcane jaggery is the most prevalent type of jaggery eaten in India. It has a light to dark brown color with a sweet-salty taste.

• It is nutrient-efficient, has antioxidants, promotes digestive and bone health, and maintains immunity just like other kinds of jaggery ^[2] [7].

With this, now you know all the varieties of jaggery that people savor in India. And these days, not only for the taste or it being simply warm, people are switching to ‘gur’ for the potential health benefits it has. So, when are you opting for the healthy gur? Replace your sugar with gur, and see the optimum results for your health!

References

1. Rao, G. P., & Singh, P. (2021). Value Addition and Fortification in Non-Centrifugal Sugar (Jaggery): A Potential Source of Functional and Nutraceutical Foods. Sugar Tech, 24(2), 387. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12355-021-01020-3 
2. Hirpara, Parth & Thakare, Nitin & Kele, Vijay & Patel, Dhruvin. (2020). Jaggery: A natural sweetener. Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry. 9. 3145-3148.  
3. Asghar, M. T., Yusof, Y. A., Mokhtar, M. N., Ghazali, H. M., Chang, L. S., & Manaf, Y. N. (2019). Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) sap as a potential source of sugar: Antioxidant and nutritional properties. Food Science & Nutrition, 8(4), 1777. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.1191
4. Melse-Boonstra, A. (2020). Bioavailability of Micronutrients From Nutrient-Dense Whole Foods: Zooming in on Dairy, Vegetables, and Fruits. Frontiers in Nutrition, 7, 101. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2020.00101 
5. Medicover Hospitals. (2024, October 3). Ice apple benefits. https://www.medicoverhospitals.in/articles/ice-apple-benefits 
6. Joynagar. (2022, April 20). The health benefits of Khejur Gur will entice you. https://joynagar.com/blogs/sundarban/the-health-benefits-of-khejur-gur-will-entice-you 
7. Netmeds. (2023, December 5). Black jaggery/Karupatti: Uses, benefits and ways to add this iron-rich sweetener to your diet. https://www.netmeds.com/health-library/post/black-jaggerykarupatti-uses-benefits-and-ways-to-add-this-iron-rich-sweetener-to-your-diet 
8. Kerala Spices Wholesale. (2024, June 28). Health benefits of Marayoor jaggery. https://keralaspiceswholesale.com/health-benefits-of-marayoor-jaggery/ 
9. Times Now News. (2025, April 22). The sweet history of Kerala’s GI-tagged Marayoor jaggery. https://www.timesnownews.com/lifestyle/food/news/the-sweet-history-of-keralas-gi-tagged-marayoor-jaggery-article-111033930