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 BC. There is archaeological evidence of date cultivation in eastern Arabia in 6000 BC.
In later times, Arabs spread dates around South and South East Asia, northern Africa, and Spain. The Spaniards introduced dates into Mexico and California by 1765. Dates are an important traditional crop in Iraq, Arabia, and north Africa west to Morocco and Dates (especially Medjool and Deglet Noor) are also cultivated in southern California and Arizona in the United States.
Dates are mentioned in many places in the Holy Qura'n. In Islamic countries, dates and yogurt or sometimes milk are a traditional first meal when the sun sets in Ramazan.
FRUIT: The fruit is a drupe known as date. They are oval-cylindrical, 3-7 cm long, and 2-3 cm diameter, and when unripe, range from bright red to bright yellow in colour, depending on variety. Dates contain a single seed about 2-2.5 cm long and 6-8 mm thick. Three main cultivar groups of date exist; soft, semi-dry and dry. The type of fruit depends on the glucose, fructose and sucrose content.
MEDICINAL VALUE: Dates have a high tannin content and are used medicinally as a detersive (having cleansing power) and astringent in intestinal troubles. As an infusion, decoction, syrup, or paste, dates may be administered for sore throat, colds, bronchial catarrh, and to relieve fever and a number of other complaints. One traditional belief is that it can counteract alcohol intoxication. The seed powder is also used in some traditional medicines. A gum that exudes from the wounded trunk is employed in India for treating diarrhea and genito-urinary ailments. The roots are used to combat against toothache
NUTRITIONAL VALUE: Date palm is well known for its nutritional and therapeutic qualities. It has very high fruit contents of carbohydrates (about 65-75 percent). In addition, the fruit is easily digestible, promotes more blood formation and also possesses protein, fat, salts, carbohydrates and vitamins in an easily assimilative form.
The fruit is a good source of vitamin A, B and C and has high mineral contents. Dried date contains 1.9 per cent protein, 70.6 per cent carbohydrates, 2.5 per cent fat, 13 per cent water, 1.2 per cent minerals and 10 per cent fibre.
A 100-gram portion of fresh dates is a premium source of vitamin C and supplies 280 kcal (1180 kJ) of energy. Since dates contain relatively little water, they do not become much more concentrated upon drying, although vitamin C is lost in the process. Chewy bread dates keep longer and can be used for "survival food" on long trips.
NUTRITIONAL VALUE PER 100 gm:
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FOOD USES: Dry or soft dates are eaten out-of-hand, or may be pitted and stuffed with fillings such as almonds, walnuts, candied orange and lemon peel, marzipan or cream cheese. Pitted dates are also referred to as stoned dates. Dates can also be chopped and used in a range of sweet and savoury dishes, from tajines (tagines) in Morocco to puddings, in Arab breads and cakes and other dessert items.
Dates are also processed into cubes, paste, spread, date syrup or "honey" called "dibs", powder (date sugar), vinegar or alcohol. Recent innovations include chocolate-covered dates and products such as sparkling date juice, used in some Islamic countries, for special and religious occasions such as Ramazan.
Dates can also be dehydrated, grounded and mixed with grain to form a nutritious stock feed. Dried dates are fed to camels, horses and dogs in the Sahara.
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.
In India, North Africa and Ghana date palms are tapped for the sweet sap, which is converted into palm sugar (known as jaggery or gur. Date seeds are soaked and ground up for animal feed. Their oil is suitable for use in soap and cosmetics. They can also be processed chemically as a source of oxalic acid. The seeds are also burned to make charcoal for silversmiths. Date seeds are also ground and used in the manner of coffee beans, or as an additive to coffee.
FUNCTIONAL ITEMS: Date palm leaves are commonly used for making huts. Mature leaves are also made into mats, screens, baskets and fans. Processed leaves can be used for insulating board. Dried leaf petioles are a source of cellulose pulp, used for walking sticks, brooms, fishing floats and fuel. Leaf sheaths are prized for their scent, and fibre from them is also used for rope, coarse cloth, and large hats.
Stripped fruit clusters are used as brooms. In Pakistan, a viscous, thick syrup made from the ripe fruits is used as a coating for leather bags and pipes to prevent leaking. Date palm wood is used for posts and rafters for huts; it is lighter than coconut but is not very durable. It is also used for construction such as bridges and aqueducts, and parts of dhows. Leftover wood is burnt for fuel.
DATES PALM TREE: The date palm is dioecious, having separate male and female plants. They can be easily grown from seed, but only 50% of seedlings will be female and hence fruit bearing. Most commercial plantations thus use cuttings of heavily cropping cultivars, mainly 'Medjool' as these cultivar produces particularly high yields of large, sweet fruit. Plants grown from cuttings will fruit 2-3 years earlier than seedling plants.
Dates are naturally wind pollinated, but in both traditional oasis horticulture and in the modern commercial orchards they are entirely pollinated manually. Natural pollination occurs with about an equal number of male and female plants. However, with assistance, one male can polonaise up to 100 females. Since the males are of value only as pollenizers, this allows the growers to use their resources for many more fruit producing female plants. Some growers do not even maintain any male plants as male flowers become available at local markets at pollination time.
Manual pollination is done by skilled labourers on ladders, or in some areas such as Iraq they climb the tree using a special climbing tool that wraps around the tree trunk and the climber's back to keep him attached to the trunk while climbing. Less often the pollen may be blown onto the female flowers by wind machine.
Date cultivars are classified as soft, semi-soft and dry or bread dates. Dates ripen in four stages, which are known throughout the world by their Arabic names kimri (unripe), khalal (full-size, crunchy), rutab (ripe, soft), tamr (ripe, sun-dried). Date palms can take 4 to 7 years after planting before they will bear fruit, and produce viable yields for commercial harvest between 7 to 10 years.
Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Pakistan, Sudan, Libya and China are some of the top dates producer countries of the world. In Pakistan, Balochistan is the major date-producing province. Pakistan exports fresh dates to Bangladesh, Canada, Denmark, Germany India, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the USA, the UK and dried dates to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Canada, Denmark, Germany, India and Japan. Dates have sufficient shelf-life and are thus shipped by sea.
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