Description

Date is a commonly used ingredient in today’s culinary world. They have sweet little chewy fruits that add an extra hint of delightful flavour when used in recipes. Their use in the haute cuisine dishes is not just a usual course, rather its availability in the Middle East brought them into fashion in the middle eastern cuisine. They are found to be cultivated in Southern California and Southern Florida. They have a high sugar content that gets intensified when they get ripened. With such relativity, these dates are considered by the Muslims as sacred are consumed throughout the Ramadan, and are used in almost all their dishes. Dates are that fruit that has a seed with a coating of sweet chewy brown pulp, which has a wrinkled texture and this wrinkled texture happens to be a queue to tell if a date is fresh and ready to eat. Dates ripen in four consecutive stages; ie unripe, crunchy, semi-dry, sun-dried or soft. Generally, they follow the usual natural course of growing by being hanged on the tree, until they fully ripen, but they are usually harvested beforehand for a more controlled drying process. Even though dates are dried, but they are not fully dehydrated like cranberries, apricots that one witness at a store, rather they happen to have the moisture, thereby they are supposedly stored in a cool place. They are available as wjole and even in powdered form.There are also ample varieties of dates cultivated in all corners of the world, and amongst them, the most popular ones are, Sayer, Mazafati, Rabbi, Piarom, Dayri, Deglet, Noor, Halawy, Khadrawy, Medjool, Thoory, Ajwa, Sukkary, Zahidi.  They are best grown in dry- arid regions like the deserts. Dry prunes happens to be a good alternative to dates.

Health benefits

• It is said that dates act as a protective shield against oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain. They happen to be a good source of dietary fibre with a high amount of phenolics and natural antioxidants, such as ferulic acid, anthocyanins, and caffeic acid, and hereby their presence potentially helps slow the progress of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.⁽¹⁾ 
• Irrespective of all their mineral content dates are also rich in iron, which helps in dealing with a condition called anemia that is characterised by dizziness, fatigue, brittle nails and shortness of breath.⁽¹⁾ 
• Dates act as a laxative, thereby it relieves off from constipation and maintains a healthy bowel system keeping at bay all gut-related complications.⁽²⁾ 
• It is said that date helps in curing alcoholic intoxication.⁽²⁾ 

Selection Guide

At the time of purchase, it should be kept in mind that the plum should be plump, moist with glossy skin.