Amritsar Jaggery Gur Making Tarn Taran Punjab

Jaggery (gur) production in the sugarcane belt of Amritsar, Tarn Taran, and Ferozepur districts of Punjab involves the traditional open-pan boiling and moulding of freshly pressed sugarcane juice into solid jaggery blocks using the traditional kolhu ox-press or modern mechanical press, and the Punjab gur is distinguished from UP gur by its higher moisture content and softer texture suited for direct consumption as a sweet and for use in the traditional Punjabi sweet rotis and shakkar pare snacks. The gur-making season from November to January corresponds to the sugarcane harvest, and jaggery units operate continuously through the short season with skilled karigars managing fire intensity, juice clarification with lime or okra mucilage to remove impurities, and pouring at the correct consistency for solid block formation. Punjab gur from the Amritsar region is marketed with a regional identity premium at Gurudwara langar supplies and urban health food channels, and traditional unrefined jaggery has found a new urban health food market on the basis of its mineral content compared to refined sugar. The Amritsar jaggery market operates through the Tarn Taran mandi as one of North India largest gur auction centres.