You may only think of savoury dishes such as curry when you think about Indian food, but India is in fact the largest consumer of sugar in the world (although, with a population of around 1.27 billion, it is also the largest consumer of most of the world’s produce!). Figures suggest that the people of India consume 60% more sugar than the population of China, and 30% more than Europe; so, let’s look in a little more detail at the country’s relationship with the sweet stuff.
One reason why these statistics are so high is that sweets are an inherent part of Indian culture, featuring on the menu at every celebration or special occasion; in fact, many occasions have their own specific treat that is traditionally served. Another reason for India’s high sugar consumption is that sugar and jaggery are actually used in both sweet and savoury recipes. Both ingredients come from the same source – the sugar cane – but each has a different texture and appearance.
As most of us know, sugar is bright white and sold in solid crystallised form; jaggery, on the other hand, varies in colour from golden yellow to brown to almost black, according to how long it has been cooked for, and can be purchased in a semi-solid state. Jaggery is made by evaporating the sap of palm trees; it’s softer than regular white sugar, and is slightly more difficult to obtain. It is most commonly used in India and other southern Asian countries to counteract fiery spices within dishes and complement their salty flavours.
Gujarati cuisine is particularly renowned for its blending of sweet, salty, spicy and sour flavours, meaning that jaggery is a particularly important ingredient in this state. The people of Gujarat also eat desserts at the start of their meal rather than at the end – a clear indication of their love of sugar!
But it’s Maharashtra where jaggery features the most heavily in dishes – perhaps unsurprisingly considering that the state is the biggest producer and consumer of this ingredient. Cooks here add jaggery to all manner of dishes, from curries to vegetable dishes and daals. In rural parts of the state, you will often see people enjoying a piece of jaggery with a glass of water after a day working in the blazing heat of the fields.
In the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, the Muzaffarnagar district is home to the biggest jaggery market on earth, where sweet-toothed shoppers come from afar to stock up on this sugary delicacy.
If you have a sweet tooth yourself, you should consider turning to Indian cuisine to satisfy your cravings. From curry dishes that have a subtle sweetness, to full-blown sugar-laden treats such as jalebi, gulabjamun and barfi, there is a diverse range of dishes that provide a deliciously sugary fix. To sample these delights for yourself, head to one of London’s top fine-dining Indian restaurants, where regionals chefs serve a range of authentic sweet treats and desserts from across the whole of India. Perhaps you’ll even discover a new favourite!