Central Travancore Jaggery

The Central Travancore Jaggery is made from sugarcane grown along the riverbanks of the Manimala, Pampa, Achenkovil and Meenachil rivers of the Thiruvithamcore Kingdom (currently Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts and Chengannur taluk in Alappuzha district).

This jaggery is made by crushing the cane in an electric crusher, boiling the juice in open copper, aluminium, or tin pans over country kilns using the sugarcane trash as fuel, removing them at different temperatures to get different forms, cooling in pans and rolling them into balls (Unda) while still hot with hands, or transferring it to tins for the semisolid form (Pathiyan) Due to its superior sweetness and lack of salty flavour found in jaggery made from sugarcane cultivated in alkaline soils, the jaggery produced in this region is in greater demand than that produced elsewhere. Due to the fresh silt that is deposited from the flood waters once or twice a year, the land along the river banks in the region where sugarcane is grown is frequently submerged during the South-West and North-East monsoons. As a result, the soil is rich in organic matter. The Central Travancore Jaggery made in the region is especially exceptional since it has a very sweet flavour and enticing golden brown colour. Aside from using small amounts of quick lime (burnt lime-Calcium oxide), which can contribute to a concentration of up to 40% in the final jaggery product and be considered a nutritional supplement for calcium fortification (644 mg/day of calcium is needed for the formation and maintenance of human bones and teeth), no harmful chemicals are used to achieve the pleasing colour.

Central Travancore Jaggery is also a mineral supplement with respect to calcium, iron and phosphorus. The major sugarcane variety of the area is Madhuri developed by Sugarcane Research Station, Thiruvalla. This variety is preferred due to its higher yield, appealing colour, crystalline texture of jaggery and ratooning efficiency for 3-5 years. The traditional variety of Java, with the ability to withstand prolonged periods in inundated fields, is cultivated in some pockets of the Kottayam district.

Hence, due to the better taste, flavour and sweetness, jaggery prepared from this area, which was a major centre for jaggery production and trade in the past, definitely will be having immense scope in the world market also.