10/30/2024
The Journey of Sharkara to Sugar (chinni ):
3000-4000 years ago our Hindu ancestors first invented jaggery from juice of Sugarcane.
Then, around the 1st century, our Hindu ancestors first invented the process and technique of making sarkarya or shakkar which is known as suger in morder era.
The derivation of the word "sugar" comes from Latin succaram which comes from Persian Shakar which derives from the Sanskrit word Shakara in turn.
The Sanskrit term "sharkara" refers to crystallized sugar and is believed to have originated from the ancient Indus-saraswati Valley Civilization.
Sugar as a stand-alone product was first invented in India.
Sanskrit literature from ancient Bharat, written between 1500 and 500 BC provides the first documentation of the cultivation of Traditional Brown sugar cane and of the manufacture of sugar in the Bengal and Indian subcontinent.
Then through the expansion of business Trade, the technique of making sakkar became popular in different countries.
In parsia sakkar become Shaakar.
In Arabia Sakkar become Shukkar.
In 12th century this sakkar reached in France become Sucre and in english it become Sugar.
But our ancestor made Sakkar ( Jaggery) which is Brown colour but in mordern times it changed it’s colour and become White which is called Chinni.
When Bharatia Shakkar reached China through Trade, the chinese emperor was amazed by it and send two missions to bring the technique of making shakkar from indian to china.
By the 6th century chinese monks took the sugar making process from India to china.
However chinese improved this technique and refined it further, leading to the production of white sugar.
When white sugar was brought back to india through trade , it was called Chinni in respect of the word china.
At the time white sugar was considered a luxry item, but by the 18th century, sugar has become much cheap product and indian began preferring white sugar more.
