The truth about dates: What you need to know about the dried fruits
They can be used to make way more than just sticky date pudding but what exactly are dates and are they actually good for you?
Often described as nature’s lolly, dates are easily one of our favourite fruits.
But what even is a date? Where do they come from? Are they actually good for you?
Taste.com.au has done the research and come up with a few date recipes which you should try at least once.
How do dates grow?
We never knew how labour intensive date-growing is.
They grow on trees called Date Palms, but they’re actually dioecious plants. This means that there are male and female palms! MIND. BLOWN.
Male palms grow pollen while female palms grow flowers, and in order for a date to grow, the pollen must be used to fertilise the female tree. Now this is where the whole ‘labour intensive’ part comes into play.
The only way for the female flowers to be pollinated is by hand, so humans usually intervene at this stage to ensure the pollen makes its way to the flower.
Usually it’s done by manually harvesting the male’s pollen, and then applying it directly to the flower.
From here, the dates are ready to begin their growing process and transform into grape-looking clusters, and then dry into the shrivelled, jammy, and super sweet dates we buy at supermarkets. This whole process can take up to 10 years – so cool.
Where do dates originate from?
It’s not entirely clear where Date Palms first came from, but research suggests that they are native to the Middle East, which explains why they’re such a huge part of the region’s cuisine.
According to Food and Nutrition Magazine, they were actually first known to be cultivated in the Fertile Crescent between Egypt and Mesopotamia as early as 4000 B.C.
TRY THESE DATE RECIPES:
Sticky date golden syrup dumplings
Sticky date Anzac cream trifle
How many different types of dates are there?
We don’t know about you, but we’re mostly familiar with the one kind of date sold at our local Coles: the Medjool.
But we discovered that there are actually more than 20 different variations of the delicious fruit, and they all vary in colours and sizes.
Some of these include Barhi Dates, which are a light, golden amber colour, and Rabbi Dates which are longer, skinnier, and more red-coloured.
Are dates and prunes the same?
Although they may look similar and are both dried, dates and prunes are totally different fruits.
In fact, prunes are actually dried plums (but not all plums can become prunes), and they originate in Asia.
In comparison to dates, they’re a lot darker in colour and stickier in texture. They also taste more like molasses, whereas dates resemble a caramel flavour.
Even though they’re pretty different, they share one major thing in common; they’re both really good for you.
Prunes are known to be super high in fibre, making them awesome for digestion, but they’re also high in potassium, a great source of iron, and rich in many vitamins. And as for dates? They, too, have some awesome health benefits.
Buying and storing
Look for plump, fleshy dates that have glossy skins and a strong aroma. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one month or freeze for up to three months.
What are the health benefits of dates?
They’re more than just a delicious tasting fruit … they’re actually super good for you.
HealthLine says not only are they a good source of fibre, they are also high in disease-fighting antioxidants, may promote brain health, and even kickstart labour (to all our pregnant friends out there!).
Plus, they can be used to make way more than just sticky date pudding.
Aside from eating them plain, we love using them to make some of our favourite desserts.
For more recipe ideas, go to taste.com.au or check out the Taste Test Kitchen now.
Originally published as The truth about dates: What you need to know about the dried fruits
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