
Dates (Arabic: تمر Tamr) 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 6000 BC. There is archaeological evidence of date cultivation in eastern Arabia in 4,000 BC.
Dry or soft dates are eaten out-of-hand, or may be seeded and stuffed with fillings such as almonds, candied orange and lemon peel, and marzipan. Dates can also be chopped and used in a range of sweet and savoury dishes, from tajines (tagines) in Morocco to puddings, bread, 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
More