A Delightful Winter Tale - Preparation of "Khejur Gur"

A Delightful Winter Tale - Process of Making "Khejur Gur"

A warm welcome to my page once again and I hope you are keeping well!!!

Introducing Winter in India, Winter is one of the best seasons for some dreamy yet epic adventures.

You may not be surrounded by mountains filled with snow, but winter nonetheless has something whimsical to offer you no matter wherever you are.

Today, I would like to share "A Delightful Winter Tale - Preparation of Khejur Gur" from my diary, a ravishing winter morning spent in the countryside of Nadia District in West Bengal. I came across the process of making fresh “Khejur Gur” – Jaggery from Date Palm which made me feel thankful to the villagers who bring a smile on to our faces each passing day but, we fail to recognize their efforts.

A Delightful Winter Tale - Preparation of "Khejur Gur"

My experience of A Delightful Winter Tale - Preparation of "Khejur Gur"

I had been to a friend’s place in Plassey, Nadia, West Bengal on 31^st December 2019 and was returning back to Kolkata early morning by car on 01^st January 2020.

This blog is about one of those most wonderful feelings, after me stepping out of a warm, cozy house and feeling a howling blast of frigid air striking my face filling my heart with joy and happiness.

The faint chirping of the birds, the sky blanketed in an ethereal white mist and the mist swirling around and moving with the pace of the wind was indeed a unique way of experiencing a winter morning -  The first day of the year!!

I am not an early riser usually, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, I was enthralled by the ravishing beauty of mother nature.

A Delightful Winter Tale - Preparation of "Khejur Gur"

Things could be hardly seen at a little distance, as far as I could see was an alluring white veil of cloud covering the entire land.

As we kept driving on the highway through the countryside, we could now see the vast fertile plain lands of Bengal, carpeted with golden fields of mustard, paddy fields cloaked in greenery and amidst which stood rows of palm and coconut trees gently swaying in the wind.

A Delightful Winter Tale - Preparation of "Khejur Gur"

Looking out of the window, I thought that nature is no doubt the most divine creation of god. The onset of this beautiful morning brought a wide smile across my face and a coziness in my heart.

No sooner did the red yellow flame and the grey smoke took our attention, we stopped our car by the roadside to see the excitement and dedication with which the villagers were busy in preparing jaggery out of freshly tapped palm juice.

Yes, you are correct, “Khejur Gur” was being prepared, we, bengalis have a special craving for this and is available in almost every household especially during the winters."Khejur Gur" is the key ingredient for our very close “Nolen Gurer Sandesh”, “Joynagarer Moya”, “Gurer Rosogolla” and above all the mouthwatering “Pithes – Patisapta, Gokul Pithe, Chitol Pithe” to name a very few.

A Delightful Winter Tale - Preparation of "Khejur Gur"

Palm trees are very special because they have ample amount of sap stored in their huge stems. If a leaf or shoot of palm tree is cut at the correct position, sweet sap oozes out in great quantities which is thereafter used to prepare Jaggery.

It was very interesting to know from them the entire process of preparation of  jaggery, seldom do we get a chance to come across someone who is directly associated with the entire preparation process.

They started by saying that the Men at their houses go to cut off young shoots of the tree by making a neat V-shaped incision on the palm tree trunk every alternate evening to collect the oozing sap in large earthen pots. They set up a narrow bamboo tube in such a way that the oozing sap drips directly continuously inside the vessel for the whole night. A fresh palm sap is extremely sweet and is sold as "Khejurer Rosh" in West Bengal.

We could feel the freshness in the air and dewdrops on the grass were sparkling like a rope of diamonds. The sensation was so intense and tempting that we for sure didn’t miss the chance to enjoy the fresh "Khejurer Rosh" amidst the silent winter breeze blowing through the trees which on a whole made us feel the magic in the air.

A Delightful Winter Tale - Preparation of "Khejur Gur"

This Sap becomes an alcoholic beverage if not consumed early in the morning just after the earthen pots are brought down from the trees when the juice is light and crystal clear.

A Delightful Winter Tale - Preparation of "Khejur Gur"

Early in the morning, men of their family go out and bring back the vessels filled of sweet sap. By then a huge Chulha or earthen stove is already lit by the women of the household.

A Delightful Winter Tale - Preparation of "Khejur Gur"

As soon as the fresh sap is brought, they are filtered using a white clean cloth and is poured to an enormous pan which is brought slowly to a boil and they keep on boiling it for quite some time till the white sap changes to pale and then dark brown Gur syrup or Gur.

At this point if is kept to boil for some more time, it leads to the formation of Gur cakes or commonly called as “Patali Gur”. The finished product, in the form of a lump of Khejur Gud(Gur cakes) or a pot of Gur Syrup is put up on sale in all the local markets.

Date palm jaggery has a distinct taste and many health benefits that one should know about. It stimulates digestion thus relieving constipation and is highly nutritious as it is a rich source of minerals and vitamins. Some people believe it heals migraines, treats menstrual cramps and is an ailment to many common health problems.

By the time the sky turned golden yellow, the Gud was ready to be tasted. We tasted the same and purchased a few litres of the fresh Gur syrup (at a price of 120 per litre) for our family so as to get the taste of fresh sweet Gur in this year’s “Pithes” during Poush Sankranti.

Poush Sankranti festival, commonly known as Makar Sankranti is the day which marks the starting of Spring or the Vasanta Ritu. Usually, the festival is celebrated on January 14, but in some exceptions, it takes its place to January 15, which was the case for this year - 2020 as well.

I shall bring forward the specialty of this special festival that brings a vibrant splendor to the chilly winters in one of my future blogs.

Then saying goodbye to all the villagers, the real heroes behind the wholesome and exotic flavored “Khejur Gur”, we got inside the car and brought back memories for lifetime.

A Delightful Winter Tale - Preparation of "Khejur Gur"

I thought for a moment what do I like more – Village or City?

This ensorcell morning knitted some beautiful memories and gave us the hope to think beyond our normal lives and above all be thankful for all the love that these villagers invest to bring smile on our faces.

I hope you will definitely say “Thank you” to all those people who bring happiness to our lives but are not always put on our "Thanks Giving" list.

That’s all I wanted to share today!!!

Will be back soon with another interesting one.
Keep yourself tuned to my future posts on Short Stories from My Diary

Till then stay safe, keep smiling and bring a smile to others and Keep supporting me...