Queen Elizabeth of Britain was once fascinated by the delicious Nalen Gur Jaggery Brick. Winter has arrived and with it, the Bengali household is filled with puli pitha payesh, which is closely associated with nolen gur.
What we can learn from this article
- A tree or shrub.- The name of the Khejur gur, why nalen?
- During the production of nalen gur.
- Deficits in production and nature.
- Method of making a paste out of jaggery.
- Benefits of Nalen gur.
- Places where good quality date date palm (Khejur) juice is available
- Economic and social context
- List of foods made from dates and nylon molasses
- Nolen jaggery and its related employment
- History of literature and cinema
- The song
There is no doubt that today from the date palm (Khejur) juice of Bengal to
jaggery, patali, sweets, moya, curd, cakes, ice cream etc. have reached the
place of an industry. Nolen or date molasses is basically found in 2 kinds of
liquid that is jhola molasses and hard or patali molasses. In 100 gram
s jaggery there is 355 kcal energy in which there are 87 grams carbohydrate and 1. It contains 69 grams of protein.
Souli or Gachi
Collecting juice from palm trees and making jaggery from them is not an easy
task at all. Somewhere in the cold of Paush Magh, when we sleep comfortably
after wrapping the paste, then the work of collecting the juice from the palm
tree begins. And those who do this are called Siuli or Gachi.
Although from the month of Ashwin the work of collecting this karmayog meaning juice starts. Although they do other work throughout the year, these six months the Shiuli focus on this work. But their lives are hard and difficult. Not everyone who plants or shoals gets work in their own place, many people go to other districts to work.
Why the name nalen gur?
Basically palm trees are found in the rugged forest. As many plants as there
are, the Shiuli try to prepare them for collecting juice. The upper part of the
tree is removed in the month of Ashwin Kartika. After that, a rope is inserted
into the area and a rope is tied. Many people think that the name of jaggery
was taken from this tube.
During the production of nylon molasses
The three months from December to February are the natural supply of date molasses, on which nolen and patali molasses are made in some states of Bengal. The best quality juice is available for a shorter period - only 60 days from December 10th onwards.
In the middle of the 19th century, according to the speed of the weather and
the duration of the winter, about four kilograms of high-quality juice could be
obtained daily from one tree. At present, the weight is about two to three
kilograms. A palm tree is capable of producing juice for about 40 to 50 years.
How to make jaggery from curd
The colder it is, the better the taste. After three days, the fruit ripens. The juice of the first day is called zirankat, which is the most delicious. The juice of the second and third day is called dokat and tekat respectively. The work of making jaggery has to be started by burning this juice early in the morning. For this purpose, the Shiuli work to make jaggery by burning palm leaves in the open field near the palm trees.
Benefits of Nalen Gur
- Helps in losing weight.
- Cures cold and cough.
- It improves digestion and cleanses the stomach.
- Consumption of jaggery prevents iron deficiency in the body.
- Keeps the liver healthy, makes the body strong and fresh.
- It helps in controlling blood pressure.
- Removes fatigue.
- Good for the skin.
Places where good quality date molasses is available
North Dinajpur District:
There is a place called Ashrampara in Kunor village, Kaliaganj block in Dinajpur district, where many families have been trading date molasses for generations. Along with the male members of the area, women also cooperate in this business. The delicious jaggery, patali of Kunor village reaches not only the neighboring districts but also Kolkata and other far flung states.Jalpaiguri district:
At present, no region of North Bengal has to look towards South Bengal for date molasses. In Gajaldoba, the business of Nalen jaggery is quite brisk. Many families are involved in this business. The jaggery here is reaching not only the neighbouring districts but also other states including Kolkata.Malda district:
Durgapur is a village in Jatrabhanga Gram Panchayat.There are many palm trees in these blocks of Bamangola and Habibpur.
The other districts are Basirhat, Mosalandpur, Jaynagar and Lalgola in Murshidabad, Nadia and 24 Parganas.
Economic and social context
For one kilogram of good quality jaggery 7 to 8 kilograms of juice is required.
The price of good quality jaggery in the market is 300 to 350 rupees. A survey
in Sunderbans and 24 Parganas districts revealed that date palm is the most
important and most profitable fruit tree after paddy in West Bengal.
List of foods made from dates and nylon molasses
- Jaggery syrup
- Jaggery rasagolla
- Sweet corn curd
- Pita, puli, patisapta, laddoo, cake, moya.
(Various dishes of dates and nolen jaggery are also available online from
Amazon or Flipkart. )
At present, jaggery tea is not a special attraction.
Nolen Jaggery and its related works
Arrangements are being made to train the sheuli and plants to produce pure and
healthy date palm jaggery by separating it from thousands of adulterants in
government and various private enterprises. Under the Skill Development
Program, arrangements are being made for the production and marketing of
jaggery in a cooperative manner with 400 to 500 small farmers and date palm
owners.
History of literature and cinema
Historian Nihar Ranjan Roy's' Bengali History Adiparva 'reveals that 800 years
ago,' Saduktikanamrita 'contained false praise of nolen gur. The film
'Saudagar' starring Amitabh Bachchan, Nutan, Padma Khanna of the 70s is still
equally popular, which depicts the life of the Sheuli people.
