It so happened that our youngest is allergic to white sugar. We understood this far from immediately, because, actually, we do not use sugar in its pure form. We only occasionally use it for baking and drinks, preferring the natural taste of products and honey. But it turned out that cheeks burn even after a small amount of refined sugar. And this was one of the reasons why we brought to Ukraine Ceylon jaggery – coconut sugar.
”Gur” is an Indian word, and it is mentioned as a sweetener in Ayurvedic medicine for 3,000 years. However, the name jaggery comes from the Portuguese word “jagara”which means large brown sugar – coconut or cane. Jaggery is commonly referred to as “healing sugar” in Asia because of its Ayurvedic use and comparison with honey, and this natural sweetener is an integral part diet in rural areas of many countries.
Although jaggery itself is a nutritious sweetener, in India it is often blended and enriched with beneficial natural spices (turmeric, black pepper, fennel, cumin, etc.) and medically proven herbs (basil, mint, triphala, amla, etc.). And this is done for the sake of strengthening the antioxidant, detoxifying, digestive properties of jaggery and its positive effect on strengthening immunity.
Coconut and cane sugar consist of longer sucrose chains with a certain percentage of mineral salts, iron and fiber, which digests more slowly than regular sugar, and, accordingly, release energy also slowly. That is why doctors recommend it for use by people prone to diabetes. But today we will not focus on the medical properties of jaggery, we will only note that even for coconut or cane sugar, it is often use the method of bleaching with the help of sulfur dioxide. Ago it is advisable to give preference to sugar of a darker color – there is less risk that it has been additionally processed with chemicals.
Regarding the use of Ceylon coconut sugar from MASALE, it is the same as with white sugar. The only difference is the unusual appearance of the crystallized coconut palm blossom juice – dark colored tiles. But jaggery is easy to grind using a sharp knife or grater.
Try natural product. Of course, everything is very individual, but maybe your cheeks don’t burn either from lemon or chocolate
