Jaggery in Kannada: ಬೆಲ್ಲ (bella)
The Kannada word for jaggery, how it is said, what the powder and the palm kinds are called, and the dishes it goes into.
In short: Jaggery is called ಬೆಲ್ಲ (bella) in Kannada. Jaggery powder is ಬೆಲ್ಲದ ಪುಡಿ (bellada pudi). Said "bel-la".
The Kannada words for jaggery
| In English | In Kannada | In Latin letters |
|---|---|---|
| Jaggery | ಬೆಲ್ಲ | bella |
| Jaggery powder | ಬೆಲ್ಲದ ಪುಡಿ | bellada pudi |
| Sesame and jaggery mix for Sankranti | ಎಳ್ಳು ಬೆಲ್ಲ | ellu bella |
| Neem and jaggery for Ugadi | ಬೇವು ಬೆಲ್ಲ | bevu bella |
| Liquid jaggery | ಜೋನಿ ಬೆಲ್ಲ | joni bella |
Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ) is spoken in Karnataka.
Bella in the Kannada kitchen
Two festivals in Karnataka are marked by jaggery. At Sankranti, families exchange ಎಳ್ಳು ಬೆಲ್ಲ (ellu bella), a mix of sesame, jaggery, coconut and peanuts. At Ugadi, the new year opens with ಬೇವು ಬೆಲ್ಲ (bevu bella), neem and jaggery eaten together: the bitter and the sweet of the year, accepted in one mouthful.
Mandya, in the Cauvery cane belt, is the state’s jaggery district. The Malnad hills are known for ಜೋನಿ ಬೆಲ್ಲ (joni bella), a liquid jaggery.
What it goes into
- Holige (obbattu). Flatbread filled with dal or coconut and bella.
- Ellu bella. Sesame, jaggery, coconut and peanuts, for Sankranti.
- Bevu bella. Neem and jaggery, for Ugadi.
- Payasa. Sweet porridge of dal, rice or vermicelli with jaggery.
- Panaka. Jaggery water with spice, for Rama Navami.
Recipes on this site that cook with the same gur: puran poli, panakam and til gur laddoo. All of them are on the recipes page.
The same gur, delivered
Whatever a kitchen calls it, sugarcane jaggery is one food. Ours is made from cane grown in the Muzaffarnagar belt of Uttar Pradesh, crushed on a village kolhu and cooked in open iron kadhais with nothing added, and sent across India as a powder and as cubes.
Jaggery in other languages
- Jaggery in Hindi: गुड़ (gud or gur)
- Jaggery in Punjabi: ਗੁੜ (gur)
- Jaggery in Urdu: گڑ (gur)
- Jaggery in Marathi: गूळ (gul)
- Jaggery in Gujarati: ગોળ (gol)
- Jaggery in Bengali: গুড় (gur)
- Jaggery in Odia: ଗୁଡ଼ (guda)
- Jaggery in Assamese: গুৰ (gur)
- Jaggery in Tamil: வெல்லம் (vellam)
- Jaggery in Telugu: బెల్లం (bellam)
- Jaggery in Kannada: ಬೆಲ್ಲ (bella)
- Jaggery in Malayalam: ശർക്കര (sharkara)
Every language side by side: jaggery names in Indian languages.
Questions people ask
- What is jaggery called in Kannada?
- Jaggery is called ಬೆಲ್ಲ (bella) in Kannada. It is the same food as the gur or gud of north India: sugarcane juice boiled down until it sets.
- What is jaggery powder called in Kannada?
- ಬೆಲ್ಲದ ಪುಡಿ (bellada pudi). It is jaggery dried a little further and ground, so that it can be spooned and measured like sugar.
- Is bella the same as gur?
- Yes. ಬೆಲ್ಲ made from sugarcane and the gur of north India are the same food under two names. ShuddhGaon’s comes from cane grown in the Muzaffarnagar belt of Uttar Pradesh and is delivered across India.