The Date
The Date (Phoenix dactylifera), a native of the deserts of Arabia, is popularly called the 'bread of the desert'. An ancient fruit that finds mention in the Quran and the Old Testament, the Date is a key food source for millions living across the Middle East and North Africa.
Dates grow on the Date palm, a tall evergreen tree that reaches up to 30 metres in height. Usually unbranched, it has long leaves that surround the trunk in a spiral pattern. Because of its tenacity in sprouting in the driest of deserts, the tree is viewed as a symbol of fertility and has been depicted on monuments and coins. Its shape is even thought to have inspired a style of columns in Greek architecture. Each palm produces five to ten bunches of Dates. A single large bunch may contain more than a thousand Dates, and can weigh between 6 to 8 kg. The tree begins to bear fruit at 3 to 5 years, and reaches full production after about a decade.
The fruit is characterised by its succulent, soft flesh and the single hard seed in the middle. Unripe Dates are green in colour and mature to reddish-brown when fully ripe.
The Date is not just a delicious fruit but a powerhouse of nutrition, as it is packed with body-building and disease-fighting proteins, minerals and vitamins. It is high in sugar content and provides energy. Vitamin C present in Dates helps lower blood pressure by dilating the blood vessels, and also lowers bad cholesterol level in the blood. Further, the fruit is rich in fibre and an excellent source of potassium. Its high iron content helps keep anaemia at bay.
According to an old Arab saying, the uses of the Date palm are as many as the number of days in the year. All the parts of the tree are put to commercial use - the trunk for timber, the leaves for weaving mats and baskets, the bark as building material, and the sap as an ingredient in baking. Even the Date stone (seed) finds use as cattle feed, after being soaked and powdered.
