Panakam

Panakam is a simple, uncooked South Indian cooler made by dissolving jaggery in water and sharpening it with lime juice, dry ginger and cardamom, often with a pinch of black pepper and a scatter of edible camphor or tulsi. Cloudy and amber-brown, it is sweet and sour at once, warm and aromatic from the spice, and served cool at room temperature rather than iced. It is best known as the ritual offering (naivedyam) of Rama Navami, the spring festival marking Rama's birth, when it is prepared in Hindu homes and temples across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka and shared as prasadam. It is non-alcoholic, caffeine-free and, in its plain form, vegan.