Joy of Joni Bella of Haigunda

Uttara Kannada is not only very rich in GREEN  HERITAGE and ARCHAEILOGICAL  HERITAGE  but also has abundant cultural diversity. We begin our journey of CULTURAL HERITAGE with this blog….. 

‘You are so sweet!’ We react with a smile when somebody shows any sweet gesture to us. The word sweet reminds us of sweet dishes we prepare and distribute to celebrate an occasion or to share our happiness. Sugar is an important ingredient of Indian sweets. Thoughts of sugar bring an image to our minds- white crystals that flow freely from spoon into a tea or coffee cup!!

Sugar cane - an important cash crop in India.

You will be surprised to know that sugar did not originate in India. It is a Chinese product that entered India in19^th century. Sugar is called ‘chini’ in Hindi which can be translated to ‘Chinese origin’. What did Indians use as sweetener before sugar entered our kitchen? It was jaggery. In India jaggery is known by different names- ‘gud’ in Hindi, ‘bella’ in Kannada, ‘vellum’ in Tamil, ‘bellam’ in Telugu.

Typical  scene at 'Alemane'- heaps of cane, crushing machine, bagasse, boiling cane juice........    

Jaggery is sugarcane based unrefined traditional Indian sweetener. It is considered the best base material for the preparation of medicines. According to the Sugarcane Breeding Institute (an institute under The Indian Council of Agricultural Sciences), jaggery is made up of sucrose, glucose, protein, fat, calcium, phosphorous, and iron (www.sugarcane.res.in).  The crystal sugar contains only sucrose to the tune of 99.5% without any minerals! Jaggery strengthens the nervous system, prevents anaemia, promotes bone health and protects the body against environmental toxins. A research done by the scientists of the Department of Agriculture and Food Engineering, IIT Kharagpur, finds that a daily use of jaggery may increase human life span. Very few incidences of diabetes cases are reported from jaggery consuming areas as compared to such cases reported from sugar consuming areas.

At this stage lime solution and different bleaching agents are mixed with boiling cane juice.

Jaggery is available in three forms- solid, granular and liquid. The basic process followed is the same for all the three forms. Juice is extracted by crushing sugarcane, juice is filtered to remove solid particles and then juice is boiled to a particular consistency. At this stage lime solution and hydro (a bleaching agent) are added. Besides, in some regions, super phosphate, phosphoric acid, chemiflocks and alum are added to further lighten the colour of jaggery. In the earlier days, plant or vegetable mucilage was used as clearing agent. But now, easily available cheaper chemicals are used as the demand for light coloured jaggery is more. Indian obsession for ‘fair’ is found here too!! Many jaggery manufacturers exceed the permitted level of bleaching agents to achieve ‘fairness’ to satisfy the customers. Solid jaggery is obtained by pouring the hot thick liquid into different shaped moulds. Granular jaggery is obtained by further boiling the cane syrup to a thicker consistency and then pouring into a tray and allowing it to cool. Liquid jaggery does not require more boiling. When the cane syrup condenses to a thick viscous liquid, boiling is stopped and allowed to cool for bottling.

Sugar cane is crushed, juice extracted and collected in a masonry tank. 

Although liquid jaggery is manufactured in many regions of India, Haigunda liquid jaggery, locally called‘joni bella’,is very special. Haigunda is a beautiful, small island surrounded by river Sharavathi in Western Ghats of Honnavar taluk of Uttara Kannada district. The unique feature of Haigunda liquid jaggery is its purity and virginity. No bleaching agents or chemicals are used during preparation. It is made up of pure sugarcane juice. In comparison with other liquid jaggery Haigunda joni bella wins a thumbs up.

Sugar cane ready to be crushed 

The farmers of Haigunda grow sugarcane in two methods - kooLe kabbu (sugarcane grown by slash / burn method and new plant grows from the stem), kanne kabbu (new plants grown from seeds). Initially, the farmers used to grow a variety locally called ‘sakkare kabbu’(soft stem and high sweet content). This used to attract foxes, jackals and wild pigs from the wild. During British period they shifted to a variety locally called ‘moris’. Sri Prabhakar Hegde, a native of Haigunda but now settled in Honnavar, recalls, “probably moris variety was brought by the British from Mauritius and the cane looked brownish red in colour. There was another variety locally called ‘Das Kabbu’, which was softer and the juice yield was lesser than other varieties. The cane has white stripes on it, just like ‘dasas’(Hindu saints) draw white stripes on their forehead!!” Das kabbu! Interesting name!  In Mandya region, known for sugarcane crop, this variety is known as ‘pataavaLi’ kabbu.

'Hoovina Kabbu'- 'Ambina Kabbu'... currently popular variety at Haigunda

The eminent freedom fighter, M.P. Nadakarni, introduced another variety of sugarcane, which is in use till today. It is locally called ‘hoovina kabbu’(flowery sugarcane)/‘ambina kabbu’( arrow sugarcane). It is thin, tall and has a bouquet of flowers on top, hence the names. This variety is quite popular because it is hard and has less water and more juice content. The hard outer cover of the cane is difficult for the animals to tear, consequently has reduced animal attacks on sugarcane fields.        

The famed ‘Alemane’- the place where sugarcane is processed to make joni bella-evokes a multi-sensory experience to you. Juice is extracted by crushing sugarcane and collected in a masonry setting tank and rested for a few minutes so that heavy particles settle at the bottom. Clear juice is drawn from the middle part of the settling tank. Who does not like cane juice? It is very common to add lemon/mint/ginger to the cane juice for an added flavour. In addition to this at Hiagunda, the leaves of ‘maadala’ plant (maadala is a kind of citrus fruit) are added which gives a different kind of aroma. Is this not special?   

Haigunda: Filtered cane juice transferred from the tank to a big thick bottomed pan

Haigunda : Cane juice is boiled on high flame. Bagasse is used as fuel.

Haigunda: Cane juice is boiled till it reaches the consistency of honey, no chemicals added

The clear sugarcane juice is transferred to a big and heavy bottomed boiling pan. Bagasse (dry cane remains after juice extraction) is used as fuel. No bleaching agents used. When the syrup condenses to a required consistency, it is cooled and stored. In earlier days Haigunda joni bella was stored in earthen pots and sealed with coconut shells and dry banana leaves. Haigunda liquid jaggery can be stored safely for a year or even more as it is pure and well processed. In earlier times the farmers of Haigunda used to reserve a pot of liquid jaggery for the local government officials. Such reserved pots displayed the word ‘sarkari’ written on them! There is another interesting custom too! The farmers set a hen free to move around the Alemane as a mark of prayer to God that jaggery preparation goes smoothly without any hurdles. Such hens are not consumed by people!!

Traditional way of storing Joni Bella at Haigunda.

Currently Joni Bella is stored in plastic and tin containers for all practical reasons.

It is very interesting that during British rule, the Geography text book of class 4 titled ‘Kaanada Jilleya BhoogoLa’( Geography of Kaanada district) had a special reference to Haigunda joni bella! It is much more interesting to know the variety of sub-uses of hot liquid jaggery at Alemane. Banana stem (dindu) is cut into rings, made into long strings and dipped and cooked for some time in boiling liquid jaggery. After cooling mouth-watering sweet rolls are ready to taste!! Dip raw papaya strips and tender coconut pieces in boiling liquid jaggery, take out after some time, you get yummy jaggery quoted soft sweets!!

The main reason for child obesity is the excessive sugar intake. All moms out there…. why don’t you switch over to liquid jaggery? Mix dry fruits with liquid jaggery and use as jam! Use liquid jaggery in your child’s milk; watch a nice change in colour and aroma and a broad smile on your kid’s face! Prepare awesome liquid jaggery cake and celebrate birthdays! And finally, get rid of indigestion, constipation and iron deficiency. On summer days cool yourself with a glass of lemon juice mixed with liquid jaggery. Now monsoon days... Watch raindrops, sipping ‘paanaka’(Indian lemonade) made of liquid jaggery. Lucky you, if you get Haigunda joni bella!!!