Bengal's famed 'nolen gur' now comes in tubes

Sweet, nutty indulgence from West Bengal now comes in a tube! The much sought after 'nolen gur' or liquid jaggery which is usually available in winters, can now be enjoyed through the summers as well, thanks to the state's 'Biswa Bangla' brand.

Have it with your routine chapattis or let it ooze through as dessert topping, the amber-brown gooey liquid is part of Bengal's celebrated legacy of sweetmeats sandesh and rossogollas.

As the winters come, you will observe the usual beige-white sandesh take on a light brown hue. Date palm jaggery does the trick.

To entice youngsters, local sweet makers also serve 'jaggery shots': A dash of the liquid delight amid a spongy mass of sandesh ensconced in a shot glass.

"Traditionally, nolen gur is available only during winters. The department of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and the Bengal government have used special packaging to increase the life of the product up to 90 days under normal conditions and up to six months under refrigerated conditions," Rajiva Sinha, principal secretary, MSME and textiles, told IANS.

Sold in tubes of 100ml and as a gift hamper (six tubes in a hamper), nolen gur is available in Biswa Bangla stores in Kolkata and Delhi.

"It is selling like hot cakes. What is packed in mid-February can be had for the next six months. This year it stopped from first week of February due to onset of summer," said Sinha, adding none of the products are available online.