11 Indian Superfoods Hiding in Your Mother's Kitchen

10. Jaggery (gud)

Jaggery is unrefined cane sugar that appears in many sweets, chikkis, and traditional remedies in Indian kitchens. Compared with white sugar, jaggery retains trace minerals from cane, which gives it a deeper color and flavor. That said, jaggery is still a concentrated sugar source, and public-health recommendations on added sugar remind us to limit overall intake. Use jaggery to add complex sweetness to a dessert or to balance spicy chutneys, but treat it as an occasional ingredient rather than a health food. In North America, blocks and powdered jaggery are available at South Asian stores and online; if you can’t find it, dark muscovado or panela can serve as a substitute for richer flavor than refined sugar. Traditional uses include dissolving a small piece in warm water after a heavy meal to aid digestion — a household practice many families swear by — but if you have diabetes or blood-sugar concerns, use jaggery only sparingly and under medical guidance.