Gur: Streetside Sweet
The ensuing weeks will find me trotting around my home state of Punjab on an exciting new assignment. That aside, I look forward to re-acquainting with the idea of Punjabiyat – an elusive ethos that once was – of a shared way of life. A brief glimpse of which I caught on my visit to the Rauza Sharif last year. Like most elsewhere, Punjabi tradition, too, demands a new beginning be marked by ingesting something sweet. Surely, a jaggery-laced post makes for as befitting a tribute as any barfi or ladoo, don’t you think?
A common winter sight along many a state highway is that of gigantic cauldrons bubbling lustily with boiling sugarcane juice.
Fires continuously fed with crushed and de-juiced cane strands by hardy veterans till the liquid reduces to desired consistency.
Once it achieves this fudge-like texture, it is poured into large wooden troughs and endlessly agitated till it further dehydrates.
While still hot, it is shaped into rough patties and sprinkled with saunf (aniseed) and magz (melon seeds), then left to cool.
Following which, the freshly minted gur or shakar (powdered form in pic above) is piled up streetside, irresistibly beckoning to every sweet tooth that attempts to drive past.
What a beautiful sight…could almost smell it 🙂
All the best for your ‘Punjabiyat’ journey…looking forward to reading about it.
Thank you Siddharth. Keep watching this space fore more 🙂
A treat for the eyes, good for health too……..welcome to Apna Punjab……..
Thanks Bharatt.
We had driven to Anandpur Sahib from Chandigarh in early December. After many years of exile from Punjab, we saw these scenes and got ourselves a largish helping of fresh gur. Delicious. Reminds one of one’s childhood.
You mean self-imposed exile 🙂
Hope you got a chance to experience the Virasat-e-Khalsa (http://www.cuttingloose.in/virasat-e-khalsa-heritage-complex) while in Anandpur Sahib?
The khushboo of cooking gur is heavenly. A wad of gur after dinner makes me feel perfect.
Yes, it’s an altogether sensual experience!