jaggery

American  

[jag-uh-ree] / ˈdʒæg ə ri /

noun

1. a coarse, dark sugar, especially that made from the sap of East Indian palm trees.

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jaggery British  

/ ˈdʒæɡərɪ /

noun

1. a coarse brown sugar made in the East Indies from the sap of the date palm

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Etymology

Origin of jaggery

1590–1600; < Portuguese (of India) jágara, jagre < Malayalam chakkara < Sanskrit śarkarā sugar

Example Sentences

When boiled longer, it reduces into jaggery, a mineral-rich palm sugar with a lower glycaemic index than the commonly available white cane sugar.

From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026

There’s the bubbling hum of rice boiling on the stove, the intoxicating aroma of warm milk infused with jaggery and fresh pods of cardamom filling the house with a scent no candle could compete with.

From Salon • Jan. 10, 2026

Along the coast, they added jaggery, an unrefined sugar, which can help protect from salt damage.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 2, 2023

Both are made from a combination of sugarcane and jaggery and their café rum is infused with roasted coffee beans sourced from southern India.

From BBC • Jul. 1, 2023

Piles of tempting wares were there; beads, bangles, and scarfs to decorate; rice, jaggery, and sweetmeats to eat, and innumerable liquors to drink, were placed in profuse array.

From Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. 3, No. 15, August, 1851 by Various