Delectable Dates
From palm tree to palm of your hand
photograph by erich lehner/istockphoto
Date fruits tempt our palates with a rich flavor that resembles fresh caramel. The mouth-watering fruit can be eaten fresh or dried, or made into products such as date vinegar, date chutney, and date paste.
The date fruit is the product of the date palm, a tree native to North Africa and the Middle East, but now grown throughout the world. Ancient cultures called the date palm “the tree of life,” because every part of the tree can serve a purpose. The wood, stalks, and leaves can be made into baskets, brooms, hats, fans, fabric, ropes, and even fuel.
According to the World Food and Agricultural Organization, at least 90 million date palm trees exist in the world, and each tree can grow for more than 100 years. A date palm produces five to ten bunches of fruit each year, and a single large bunch may contain more than 1,000 dates. Of the hundreds of date varieties that are grown throughout the world, 12 are common in the United States. California grows about 95 percent of our country’s dates.
Dates can be classified as soft, semi-dry, or dry. Medjool dates, a soft variety, are popular because of their large size, extraordinary sweetness, and chewy texture. Other soft dates are the Khadrawy, Halawy, and Barhi, which like Medjools, have a sweet, creamy flesh resulting from their high moisture content. Semi-dry dates such as Deglet Noor and Zahidi have less moisture, sweetness, and chewiness. Dry dates such as the Thoory, known as the “bread” date, have a hard, dry skin and very little moisture.
Modern medicine has shown that dates offer many health benefits. Dates can play a role in combating constipation, intestinal disorders, weight gain, abdominal cancer, and diseases of the respiratory system.
Travelers, backpackers, and athletes know that dates can serve as a convenient meal replacement because of their high carbohydrate content and rich blend of protein, fat, and minerals, including copper, sulfur, iron, magnesium, and potassium.
Dried dates are available year-round in the bulk food section of large supermarkets, and fresh Barhi dates can be found in autumn at specialty groceries and farmers’ markets (all other date varieties grown commercially in the United States are sold dried). Dates can be eaten whole, blended into date shakes, dipped in dark chocolate, or baked and then rolled in chopped walnuts or almonds. For an appealing appetizer, try splitting open large Medjool dates, removing the pits, and stuffing them with Greek yogurt and chopped pistachios.
