What is "jaggery"

Jaggery \Jag"ger*y\ (j[a^]g"g[~e]r*[y^]), n. [Hind j[=a]gr[=i]. Cf. Sugar.] Raw palm sugar, made in the East Indies by evaporating the fresh juice of several kinds of palm trees, but specifically those of the palmyra ( Borassus flabelliformis) and jaggery palm ( Caryota urens). [Written also jagghery and jaggary.]

n. 1 A traditional unrefined sugar used throughout South and South-East Asia. 2 A small-scale production plant that processes sugar cane.

n. unrefined brown sugar made from palm sap [syn: jagghery, jaggary]

Jaggery is a traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in Asia and Africa. It is a concentrated product of date, cane juice, or palm sap (see palm sugar) without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in color. It contains up to 50% sucrose, up to 20% invert sugars, and up to 20% moisture, with the remainder made up of other insoluble matter, such as wood ash, proteins, and bagasse fibers. Jaggery is mixed with other ingredients, such as peanuts, condensed milk, coconut, and white sugar, to produce several locally marketed and consumed delicacies.

Unrefined, it is known by various names, including panela, in other parts of the world.