CHIKOO
What is chikoo?
Chikoo Fruit (called as “Sapota pazham” in Tamil Nadu) is a rich source of digestible sugar, protein, fibre and minerals like phosphorus, calcium and iron.
The milk like substance (the latex) extracted from the chikoo stem is gummy in structure and used to make the chewing gum. Chicklet is made from the chikoo gum.
Sapota is spray dried, powdered and sold commercially. This sapota powder is used for making Ice-cream, biscuits and other snack items.
In season, we get plenty of this fruit which can be eaten as it is. Just remove the skin and seeds and cut it into convenient size pieces and have it.
CUSTARD APPLE
What is custard apple?
The fruits vary in shape, heart-shaped, spherical, oblong or irregular. The size ranges from 7 centimetres (2.8 in) to 12 centimetres (4.7 in), depending on the cultivar. When ripe, the fruit is brown or yellowish, with red highlights and a varying degree of reticulation,
depending again on the variety. The flesh varies from juicy and very aromatic to hard with a repulsive taste. The flavor is sweet and pleasant, akin to the taste of ‘traditional’ custard.
** source : Wikipedia
MILLET FLOUR
What is millet flour?
This is made from finely milled small grains of the sorghum plant, which grows in hot climates. There are three main varieties. There is the bland, sweetish, white millet flour, which is pale yellow in colour.
Black millet flour, sometimes made from sun-dried millet, is dark grey, with a distinctive, nutty flavour and a slightly bitter aftertaste. Fine-textured, red millet flour is brown, streaked with red, and has a bland, nutty flavour.
** source : BBC Food
JAGGERY
What is jaggery?
Jaggery is an unrefined sugar product made in Asia and Africa. It’s sometimes referred to as a “non-centrifugal sugar,” because it’s not spun during processing to remove the nutritious molasses.
Similar non-centrifugal sugar products exist all over Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, although they all have different names.
Use of jaggery
Like sugar, jaggery is versatile. It can be grated or broken up, and then used as a replacement for refined sugar in any food or drink.
In India, it’s often mixed with foods like coconuts, peanuts and condensed milk to make traditional desserts and candies. These include jaggery cake and chakkara pongal, a dessert made from rice and milk.
It is also used to make traditional alcoholic drinks, such as palm wine, and for non-food purposes like dying fabric. In the Western world, this sweetener is often used as a sugar substitute in baking. It can also be used to sweeten drinks like tea and coffee.
** source : HealthLine