Love Street Living Foods

INTRODUCTION

Dates have been a staple food of the Middle East for thousands of years. They are believed to have originated around the Persian Gulf, and have been cultivated since ancient times from Mesopotamia to prehistoric Egypt, possibly as early as 4000 B.C. There is archaeological evidence of date cultivation in eastern Arabia in 6000 B.C. (Alvarez-Mon 2006).

In later times, Arabs spread dates around South & South East Asia, northern Africa, and Spain and Italy. Dates were introduced into Mexico and California by the Spaniards by 1765, around Mission San Ignacio.

MEDICINAL USES

Dates have a high tannin content and are used medicinally for their cleansing power for intestinal troubles.  As an infusion, decoction, syrup, or paste, dates may be administered for sore throat, colds, bronchial catarrh, and taken to relieve fever and number of other complaints.One traditional belief is that it can counteract alcohol intoxication. The seed powder is also used in some traditional medicines.

FOOD USES

Dates are eaten out-of-hand, or may be pitted and stuffed with fillings such as almonds, walnuts, orange, lemon peel, and tahini. Pitted dates are also referred to as stoned dates. Dates can also be chopped and used in a range of sweet and savory dishes, from tajines (tagines) in Morocco to puddings, cookies and other dessert items. Dates are also processed into cubes, paste called "'ajwa", spread, date syrup, or date sugar. 

Recent innovations include chocolate-covered dates and products such as sparkling date juice, used in some Islamic countries as a non-alcoholic version of champagne, for special occasions and religious times such as Ramadan.

Dates can also be dehydrated, ground and mixed with grain to form a nutritious stockfeed. Dried dates are fed to camels, horses and dogs in the Sahara. In northern Nigeria, dates and peppers added to the native beer are believed to make it less intoxicating.

Young date leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable, as is the terminal bud or heart, though its removal kills the palm. The finely ground seeds are mixed with flour to make bread in times of scarcity. The flowers of the date palm are also edible. Traditionally the female flowers are the most available for sale and weigh 300-400 grams. The flower buds are used in salad or ground with dried fish to make a condiment for bread.

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