Dates

Information about Dates plus Dates Recipes Collection

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Dates are the fruit of the date Palm,  Phoenix dactylifera which belongs to the family Areaceae,. Dactylifera is Greek word for �finger-bearing�.  The English word date derives from the Greek �dactylus� and Hebrew �dachel� which both mean finger. The fruit is a �drupe� with a single seed in each. They are borne on clusters often weighing 10 kg or more. They contain several minerals including potassium,  phosphorus, calcium and  magnesium, vitamins such as  riboflavin, thiamine, folic and ascorbic acid, fats and easily digested sugars (glucose, sucrose and fructose).

Origin and History of Dates

The date palm  is probably the oldest tree cultivated by man. Dates have been cultivated and  traded from as early as 5000 BC and whilst dates were revered by many cultures, the Arabs seem to be the ones who hold it in the greatest esteem. Indeed, it is historically known that desert people, in particular the nomadic Bedouins, lived on dates and camel milk for months on end.

Evidence that the fruit was traded between India and the Arabian Peninsula dates back to the 1st Millennia BC,  via the already established Frankincense and Myrrh  trade routes.

It is easy to see how the use of this incredible fruit spread throughout the world; once dried, they are light to carry, self preserving (containing a high proportion of sugar) and with the nutritional attributes mentioned above, can be used as a major food source for dessert people, sailors on long voyages and armies as well as livestock.

Cultivation, Processing and Growing Dates

Many people will have heard of the large Majool Date which is mainly grown in Morocco, but there are others including  Barhee, Khalas, Zaghloul,   Naghal and Jaberi Fardh. They all differ in colour,  sweetness and texture. All in all there are over 600 varieties of dates grown world- wide .

Date Palms are dioecious that is to say there are male and female plants. It only requires one male plant to  every 40 or so female trees to produce good crops when grown on a plantation.  Now grown in tropical and sub tropical regions as well as in temperate  regions in USA, Australia,  and  Mediterranean areas, most start to produce fruit at about 6 years but reach maturity at about 30 years and continue to produce dates for a further 70 years or so.

The spathes containing pollen on the male trees appear in early spring when  pollination takes place. The  low level of fertilization obtained by wind or insects would certainly be insufficient for commercial production, so man assisted pollination takes place on plantations using both hand and mechanical blowers. During the growing period, the fruit which is borne in clusters, may be thinned to produce larger, better quality fruit. This is also done by hand.  

Depending on the variety, "fresh" dates are harvested  3-5 months after pollination, when they have slightly dried, coloured and ripened and have a moisture content of 35-40%.   However it takes about 200 days for the fruit to reach the Tamr stage at which point the date has only 20- 24% moisture content. These are the fruit which are used for packaging or further processing . Once the dates are cleaned and sorted,  some are  packaged as they are and others are pitted and made into a variety of products such as pastes, liquid sugar,  and date syrup.

Cooking with Dates

Dates can be used in a variety of both sweet and savoury recipes. When used in their dried form, they add a richness and sweetness unrivalled by most other dried fruit. They are particularly popular in middle eastern and North African cuisine.