Khejurer Gur
| Place of origin | Bengal | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region or state | Bengal and Odisha | ||||||
| Variations | Patali and Nolen | ||||||
| 355 kcal (1,490 kJ) | |||||||
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Khejurer Gur (Bengali: খেজুরের গুড়, romanized: Khējurēr Guṛ) is a type of palm sugar made from the sweet sap of the date palm. The sap is boiled and concentrated to syrup by evaporation. Khejurer Gur is prepared by cooling the concentrated syrup. Khejurer Gur is available in two forms — Patali (solid) and Nolen or Jhola (liquid). The word "Khejur" generally refers to the date palm while the word "gur" refers to jaggery.
The history of Khejurer Gur production in Bengal is very old. Nolen Gur, a type of Khejurer Gur (or molasses), is mentioned in the Sanskrit Kāvya Sadukti-Karnamrta by Sridhardas. In 1837, the first Khejurer Gur factory was established at Dhoba near Bardwan in West Bengal. West Bengal and Orissa in India and Jessore and Faridpur districts in Bangladesh are famous for producing Khejurer Gur.
Khejurer Gur plays an important role in culinary styles, especially in Bengali cuisine. This type of palm sugar holds significant importance in the preperation of Pitha, which adds a delicious nuttiness and sweetness. Kolkata is famous for its use of Nolen gur in Sandesh and other Mishti.