Jaggery, also known as gur in India, is a traditional noncentrifugal cane sugar. It has been consumed in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, North America, Central America, Brazil, and Africa for centuries. The word “jaggery” comes from the Portuguese terms “jágara” or “jagra,” which were borrowed from the Malayalam word (śarkara), itself derived from the Sanskrit word “शर्करा” (śarkarā). 

Jaggery is made by boiling raw sugarcane juice or palm sap until it solidifies. The process involves heating the juice in large, shallow vessels and continuously stirring it until it thickens. The resulting product is a golden-brown, unrefined sugar that retains many of the natural minerals and nutrients found in the original juice.