In Pictures: Chaku making in full swing

As Magh Sankrati is right around the corner, workers are in process of making molasses (Chaku) in Tokha on January 02, 2022.

Rajbhai Shrestha, the owner of Tokha Chaku Industries, said, “Molasses is highly demanded and consumed in winter season as it is exported to different markets out the valley as well as inside. It is also one of the traditional foods for Newars.”

Talking about the making process of molasses, “First of all jaggery made out of sugarcane is cooked until it turns into caramel and leaves it for some time until it turns into a sticky mass. After that it is pulled and stretched time and again which also changes the color to golden brown and becomes smoother,” he says.

Shrestha talking about molasses making explains how the quality of the chaku has decreased over the years. He adds, “The quality of the molasses is determined by the quality of the sugarcane. We import sugarcane from outside the valley and the farmers use chemical fertilizers which also affects how the molasses tastes.” “Taste of the molasses is very different from the time I was a kid,” Shrestha reminisces.