Gur’s own country: Date palm jaggery is worth its weight in gold for those who have a sweet tooth

But can sugarcane or coconut jaggery be a substitute for nolen gur in making sweets during other seasons?

"We tried to use other gur types to make mohini sandesh or jalbhara. It was like payesh that smelt like biryani. A strong smell disturbed the balanced profile of sweets. For sweet makers, it is nolen gur or nothing," says Amitava Dey of Felu Modak, a 172-year-old sweetshop of Bengal.

Jaynagarer moa, another typical sweet of this season, is made in Bengal with kanakchur khoi (puffed rice) and nolen gur. The most famous moas are found in Jaynagar Majilpur and Baharu in South 24 Parganas.