How Indian states revel in the goodness of jaggery
The Hindu
Sankranti, Pongal, Lohri... no harvest festival in the country is complete without the use of ‘gud’ or jaggery. Fans know that the texture and taste of this traditional sweetener differ from region to region, lending a distinct flavour to festive dishes. Travel around India with us to sample some well-loved heirloom recipes
For over 20 years we have been buying jaggery from a farmer at a nearby village who visits the neighbourhood during Sankranti. Guda mausa (gud uncle) as he is fondly called by regular customers, travels 30 kilometres on his Luna carrying two earthen pots of gud, each covered with a hessian cloth for cushioning. The gud in each container is different. One is slightly softer used for pithe making, while the other has hard gud with a longer shelf life. He marks the beginning of the festival as Sankranti is incomplete without pithe.
As the festival draws closer, neighbourhoods are enveloped in the sweet aroma of gud and rice flour as every home makes pithe. Some common pithas are arisey, monda and gheela.
