As more and more individuals turn towards natural living and conscious eating, traditional Indian sweeteners such as palm sugar candy and jaggery are experiencing a new wave of popularity as the next alternative to white sugar. With the health credentials to beat them all and unmatched cultural heritage, how do you decide between the two? And what’s the best for you?
Here we are contrasting the key differences of jaggery and palm sugar candy (panangal kandam)—origin, health benefit, taste, and application—to introduce you to the better one for your well-being.
What Is Palm Sugar Candy ?
Homemade palm sugar candy or panangal kandam in South Indian households is produced using the sap of palms such as the palmyra palm. The sap is boiled for hours and cooled and then cast into hard crystals or blocks. It is a mechanism devised by nature to retain nutrients and provide a sweetener that is mineral and nutrient-dense.
Whereas its processed cousins are devoid of natural vitamins and minerals and are chemically processed, palm sugar candy is not. Instead, it has depth of flavor and tastes like caramel and is wonderful to mix into teas, confections, and old-fashioned herbal beverages.
What Is Jaggery ?
Jaggery is a blind sweetener and is applied everywhere, and one can very well come across them in all nooks and corners of India. Jaggery is also produced from palm sap or sugarcane juice. Juice is boiled for obtaining thick syrup and then cast into molds to cool down. Jaggery comes in solids, powder, or even syrups.
Jaggery is more concentrated and stronger in flavor than palm sugar candy. It is used to sweeten sweets such as chikkis and laddus and to sweeten dal and curry in order to neutralize strong flavor.
Nutritional benefits of palm sugar candy
One of the strongest arguments favouring panangal kandam is that it contains low glycemic index, i.e., does not burden the body with excess blood sugar content. It never gives a sudden boom in the rate of blood sugar, and for diabetic patients, it can be even beneficial if taken in small amounts.
The palm sugar sweet also has extremely high levels of such essential minerals as potassium, magnesium, iron, and zinc. The minerals control blood pressure, assist in bone formation, and support immunity.
One of the lesser known advantages is that it aids in digestion. palm sugar candy, according to Ayurveda, is taken with plant decoctions as an apperient prior to meals to calm down the digestive system and take away acidity. It is also said to provide a power boost which will not crash the individual like sugar.
Nutritional Benefits of Jaggery
Jaggery is loaded with goodness. Jaggery is full of iron and actually can be very beneficial for hemoglobin patients or anemia patients. Jaggery is consumed by menstruating women in an effort to get rid of the cramps and boost mood.
It even purifies itself. Consume small quantities of jaggery along with food and is said to purify the liver of toxins. Jaggery heals lungs too and is used in all cough homemade remedies only.
Mineral and antioxidant-fortified, jaggery increases immunity and protects one from seasonal ailments. Jaggery is a hot food and can be of great assistance during the winter season to generate heat in the body and keep it awake.
Flavor and Culinary Use
Palm candy sugar is sweeter, creamier with a mild caramel flavor. It is suitable to sweeten herbal teas, porridas, payasams, and even in baking if an easy sweetness has to be incorporated.
It dissolves in hot water and is utilized in excess in traditional health tonics such as sukku kashayam.
Jaggery is bitter to sugar in taste and earthy in flavor. Jaggery is employed as sweetener in all Indian traditional snacks and sweets such as peanut chikki, gur roti, and rice and jaggery. Jaggery can be mixed quite well with spicy food and as end garnish sprinkled on rasam or sambhar so that its spiciness gets reduced.
Which One Is Better for You?
Palm sugar candy and jaggery candy are hard but in the latter case of palm sugar candy with lower glycemic index value and improved mineral retention.
If controlling blood sugar or looking for something that would not cause spurt in your insulin, panangal kandam would be suitable. You can consume it by children, elderly, or one with tender digestion.
Or, jaggery can be consumed if an individual needs immediate energy, particularly after workouts or in winter. Women needing iron or cramp relief during menstruation are also the ones to consume.
Lastly, on flavor, it is a personal preference. If you have a strong, rich sweetness taste, then jaggery is your option. If you have a light, smooth texture taste, then palm sugar candy is to be consumed.
The Secret of Palm Sugar Candy of Ancient Times
The originality of panangal kandam is also complemented by the fact that it is well established within Indian society. Palm sugar candy has been utilized as a medicine for thousands of years as well as a sweetener. Palm sugar candy is a powerful Ayurveda medicine. Palm sugar candy has been utilized as an indigestion medicine, cough medicine, sore throat medicine, and in weakness.
Its production is also eco-friendlier. The palm trees cultivate naturally with less irrigation water and chemical fertilizer. Palm sap tapping has been the green culture for a long time. Making palm sugar candy, you’re not only creating a healthier sweetener — you’re also supporting traditional farm communities and sustainable agriculture as a bonus. “S” Sweet Choice with Megavita
If palm sugar or candy jaggery is given to you, the best way to do so would be in the form of a natural sweetener such as that. However, if you want something which is digestible, mineral rich, and full of tradition, then you just have to have panangal kandam.
We at Megavita by heritage foods believe that one needs to feed the soul and not just the body. Our palm sugar candy is not chemically produced but is produced in care and love, handmade. It is produced with respect for our customs which our ancestors would have trusted.
As the best millet brand in india , Megavita is committed to providing natural and healthy food in harmony with Indian lifestyle for well-being. Take palm sugar candy home and indulge in nature’s goodness with a bite.