Pranam
SUGAR CANE
The most popular sweetener in the world – Sugar – was invented in
India. Prior to the introduction of Sugar from India, the most popular
sweetener in the western world was – HONEY!
Infact the very word Sugar (and even Sucrose) is derived from the Sanskrit
word for Sugar
<http://www.hitxp.com/articles/culture/sanskrit-greek-english-latin-roman-words-derived-pie-proto-indo-european-language/>
– *Sharkara*.
For the past thousands of years Sugar cane is being cultivated in India.
However Sugarcane became popular and spread to the rest of the world only
after Indians developed the technique of turning sugarcane juice into
granulated crystals there by making it easy to store as well as transport.
India is the world’s largest producer of Sugar after Brazil today.
The earliest reference to Sugar can be found in the ancient vedic text of
Atharva Veda. Susrutha Samhita lists 12 different varieties of Sugar. The
best of which were called Vamshika (with thin reeds) and Paundraka (which
came from the Bengal region). Even today Bengal produces some of the best
sweets in the world using sugar syrup as a major ingredient. If you haven’t
tasted a Bengali Rasgullah yet – then you probably dont know how sweet
sugar can really be!
Darius – the King of Persia – who invaded India at around 510 BCE was
fascinated when he tasted this “*Reed which gives Honey without Bees*“.
Alexander’s army tasted it in India in 326 BCE.
Sugar was carried to other parts of Asia by the Indian Sailors whose
dietary mainstay was Sugar + Clarified Butter (Ghee). Even today Sugar and
Ghee is a favorite combination in many parts of India.
*2 Ikshvaku was mentioned in Rik Veda. The meaning of his name is
SUGARCANE.* The plant sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) is mentioned in the
Atharva Veda. Ayurvedic authors Charaka and Susruta mentioned the sugarcane
in many places. The word ‘sugar’ and the words for sugar in other European
languages came from the Sanskrit word ‘Sharkara’. Columbus introduced the
sugarcane to the Americas in 1439. Arabs took it from India to other parts
of Asia around 8th century AD.
3 Jains have another interesting story about the sugarcane. Their
first Thirthankara Rishabadeva (Adi Nath) was the one who taught the people
of extraction of sugarcane juice. So he was known as Ikshvaku. Another
version is that he took sugarcane juice after a year of fasting. Both the
Hindu and Jain Ikshvakus are probably one and the same.
4 Another interesting fact about sugarcane is in Tamil
literature. The word for sugarcane in Tamil is ‘Karumbu’.The grand old lady
of Tamil literature Avvaiyar praised chieftain Adhiyamaan Nedumaan Anji of
Thagadur (modern Dharmapuri in Tamil Nadu) for his philanthropy in
*Puranaanuru* verse 99. Avvaiyar lived two thousand years ago. While
praising him she made a passing remark. She said that the forefathers of
Adhiyamaan were the one who introduced sugarcane to the people. If we get
all these facts together we get a good picture of sugarcane cultivation in
India. Ikshvaku or Rishabadeva was the one who taught people how to get the
juice and make sugar. But if Indus valley had it by 3000 BC then we had to
push the date of Ikshvaku dynasty or Rishabadeva to 3000 BC as well. Tamils
also say indirectly that Adhiyamaan was related to him. The South Indian
Tamils corroborate what their North Indian counterparts said about the
sugarcane. The idea that it was ‘introduced’ by some king is undeniable.
The sugarcane mystery pushes back the date of Ikshvaku dynasty and the Jain
Thirthankara to the remotest periods of Indian history. ther Sanskrit words
for sugarcane are Mahashira, Mahapushpaka and for jaggery ‘Gur’ or ‘Gud’
(Tamil word Vellam).
5 Sugarcane is one of the major crops of India. Iksu, the term
for sugarcane, is found in the Atharvaveda I.34.5 ; Vajsayini XXV. 1.
Maitrayini III. 7.9. cf.; Taitriya samhitai 2.9 for iksu-kanda.& VII. 3.
16. And Asvaläyana Grhya Sutra, II. 7 ; Kaulsika Sutra, 2 3, That
sugarcane is indigenous to India is beyond dispute. There is, however, to
the best of knowledge, no trace of sugar or sugarcane in any
archaeological site of the prehistoric or early historical period, though
this negative evidence is no proof that it was unknown.
6 (AVŚ_1,34.5a) pári tvā paritat nún *ekṣú* ṇāgām ávidviṣe |
(AVŚ_1,34.5c) yáthā mā́ṃ kamíny áso yáthā mán nā́pagā ásaḥ ||5|| And
Karumbu is a tamil word transported to Malayalam.
KR IRS 30421
On Thu, 29 Apr 2021 at 21:38, 'gopala krishnan' via iyer123 <
iyer...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
> *KARIMPU- THE SUGAR CANE*
>
> Dear friends,
>
> I was thinking of writing about sugar cane for pretty long time. If
> somebody is there to well remove the tough skin, cut sugar cane to pieces
> and give, *it is very delicious to eat.*
>
> Yellow sugarcane is thin comparing to violet colour variety. But more
> sweet. People with artificial teeth *after root canal fitted to gum* can
> chew sugar cane.
>
> Street vendors were there in Chennai with crushing sugar cane machine *before
> COVID beginning* in March 2020. Sugar cane were cleaned and juice
> extracted and filtered gave to customers adding with ice and slight
> ginger/lime in disposable cups. After taking one cup, it would prompt most
> to consume one more cup. It was hygienically prepared and given. Mostly
> they stored yellow thin sugar canes.
>
> Let me continue my karimpu puranam.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Gopala Krishnan 29-4-2021
>
> 1. Mannam sugar Mills- Pandalam
>
> When I was about 15 or so the NSS opened their factory at Pandalam for
> preparing sugar and allied products. I could see Lorries going in queue to
> sugar mills at Mangaram, where exactly the factory was located. The factory
> did not survive for long period for its own reasons. I confirmed by google
> search once again before this posting.
>
> At that time there was a revolution of growing sugar canes converting
> paddy fields in our area. Still another sugar factory at *Pulimkeezhu
> near Thiruvalla* is running about 20 KM from my home.
>
> I have confirmed through google search for the proper functioning of the
> factory by Travancore sugars and products.
>
> 2. Sugar from the stem
>
> In sugar cane the stem stores sugar. Where as in sweet potato it is stored
> in the tuber. The content of sugar is much more in sugar cane comparing
> to sweet potato.
>
> 3. Cutting period
>
> The sugar canes are cut from the bottom after about three weeks, they have
> flowered. The flowers are white in colour. After cutting in the bottom, the
> top portion near flower for about one foot is discarded. This area has
> extract with lesser sweetness and extract is also less.
>
> 4. By products
>
> In villages from the extract *called pani*, with suitable boiling jaggery
> is obtained. In Malayalam it is called *sarkara*. Tamil it is called
> *vellam*. However now we have vellam to the size of a big mango or small
> coconut is common in shops. The old *pathiyan sarkara* in semi liquid
> form in Kerala has practically disappeared.
>
> 5. Bagasse and molasses
>
> After extracting the juice, the remains of the stem is called bagasse. It
> is fed to cattle.
>
> The process of making ethanol from sugarcane starts when cane stalks are
> crushed to extract a sugar-rich cane juice.
>
> When cane stalks passed through extractor/ expeller, cane juice is
> collected and delivered to a fermentation tank where the yeast fermentation
> reaction occurs to generate ethanol.
>
> Molasses is a thick syrup that people use as a sweetener. It is a
> by-product of the sugar-making process, and it comes from crushed sugar
> cane or sugar beets. First, manufacturers crush sugar cane or sugar beets
> to extract the juice. They then boil down the juice to form sugar crystals.
>
>
> Traditionally, molasses is the syrup left over when cane or beet sugar is
> made into table sugar. But molasses today is often made by blending the
> syrup with a sugar solution, which ensures uniform quality. ... Blackstrap
> molasses is the only form with any nutritional pluses, notably iron,
> calcium, and potassium
>
> 6. Manufacturing sugar process
>
> I never felt the process of manufacturing sugar is such complicated till I
> visited a sugar factory in Mohanur near Namakkal. Even for
> crystallization it takes about 18 hours of the juice. Bone char—often
> referred to as natural carbon—was widely used by the sugar industry as a
> decolorizing filter, which allows the sugar cane to achieve its desirable
> white color. *Recently I read about methods used without the use of bone
> char to produce sugar.*
>
> 7. Eating sugar no papa
>
> As a boy I was interested to eat sugar whenever occasion arised. But we
> cannot eat sugar as it is more than one or two spoons. We get fed up.
>
> But a coffee or tea without sugar is not tasty to tell the fact though I
> take no sugar coffee for years together now. (Occasional exemptions are
> there while in journey or in hotel etc.)
>
> Children like iddali added with slight sugar. In Palpayasam sugar is added
> for sweetness. For consuming uppuma and pongal necessarily sugar is
> required. In Karnataka, hotels *add sugar in rasam and sambar. Of course
> tastes good.*
>
> 8. Crystal sugar and powder sugar
>
> These are two varieties of sugar. Powder sugar may slightly less in
> sweetness comparing to crystal sugar. Now in many restaurants we get sugar
> cubes along with coffee. We can add cubes as we like
>
> 9. Growing sugar canes
>
> Though normally grown in fields, we can grow three or four in homes also
> if space is there. The propagation is through stem cutting and planting.
> The premises have to be well cleaned if grown in houses. Always dry leaves
> would be falling. Near the open well in my residence at home, a few sugar
> canes violet were there in my boyhood days. But they tasted less sweet.
>
> 10. Sugar cane cut as prasadam
>
> My eldest brother told me once that there is a temple in Andhra Pradesh
> where sugar cane pieces are given as prasadam.
>
> 11. Fibre content of sugar cane.
>
> Because of the visible fibres, by eating a few pieces by chewing well, it
> is told the teeth would become clean and fresh and foul smell would vanish.
>
>
> 12. Pongal and sugar cane.
>
> Normally for Pongal preparation in the outside, two full grown sugar canes
> are cut and erected with its leaves in an arch from and Pongal pana is
> placed in an oven in middle. Tamilnadu government gives for each family
> all ingredients and one sugar cane before Pongal through Ration outlets
> to those having ration card.
>
> 13. Karimpu thinnan kooliyo
>
> There is a saying in Malayalam- wages for eating sugar cane? This means
> already over paid- again bonus payments?
>
> 14. Elephants and sugar cane
>
> The elephants find it delicious to eat sugar cane. If the cultivating area
> is near forests, they may encroach to sugar cane fields for eating. So
> cultivators make vigil to ward of them by drumbeating etc.
>
> 15. Kama deva and sugar cane.
>
> Kamadeva has his bow made of sugar cane.
>
> 16. Keeping sugar packet.
>
> It is advised to keep a small packet of sugar in the hand bag by DIABETIC
> PATIENTS who take medicines or insulin. Or it can be sweet biscuits also. *At
> any time blood sugar may fall low in journey. It could be felt suddenly.*
> Sugar eating may solve the problem and is most practical.
>
> Especially those taking insulin, low sugar may occur for many reasons and
> if sugar or sugar products is not taken may even lead to unconsciousness on
> becoming sugar low. Sugar will not decay and hence no problem of keeping in
> a paper bag.
>
> The effect of low sugar may vary from person to person. For some it may
> not be serious feeling, for some it become really serious. I have taken
> my blood sugar readings after taking- coffee with sugar, and eating
> biscuits in train journey. It was just normal.
>
> The caution to carry sugar in hand during train journey was told to me by
> a new MBBS doctor in 1998, while blood sugar was detected. *I follow it
> till today.*
>
> In sleeper coaches and chair cars coffee is given added with sugar. A
> great fortune I would say.
>
> *This is an edited posting with additions of an earlier one posted on
> 10-10-2011.*
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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