Jaggery (also transliterated as jaggeree), guṛ (North India) and panela (South America), is a traditional unrefined non-centrifugal sugar consumed in Asia and South America. This type of sugar is a concentrated product of cane juice without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in color.

We use Jaggery a lot in South India in a lot of sweets and desserts. This is a much healthier substitute to sugar and it tastes really good. In some parts of India, it is added to sambar, resam and other gravies which are staples in India. Jaggery is also eaten just like that. As a kid, we loved eating jaggery just like that. Jaggery is a rich source of iron due to the process involved, using iron utensils. It is considered by some to be a particularly wholesome sugar and, unlike refined sugar, it retains more mineral salts. Moreover, the process does not involve chemical agents. Indian Ayurvedic medicine considers jaggery to be beneficial in treating throat and lung infections.