Jaggery
/ˈdʒæɡəri/noun
A coarse, unrefined sugar made by concentrating the juice of sugar cane or the sap of certain palms.
Did you know?Jaggery’s ancestry is linked to the same ancient word family that produced sugar and saccharide, while its traditional production preserves pre-industrial methods of boiling and concentrating plant juice.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Sanskrit
Sanskrit
śarkarā
“Gravel, grit, or sugar crystals”
Ancient India
Prakrit
sakkarā
“Sugar or crystallized sweet substance”
Medieval South India
Malayalam
śarkkara / chakkara
“Sugar, especially cane sugar”
16th Century
Portuguese
jagra / jagara
“Unrefined sugar or molasses-like sugar imported from India”
1590s
English
jaggery
“A coarse, unrefined form of sugar”
Modern English
English
jaggery
“Solidified unrefined cane or palm sugar”
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