An Old Date

     Dates have been around for a long, long time.  It is commonly believed that they were first cultivated in Iraq around 4,000 BCE and are mentioned more than 50 times in the Bible.  But fossil records indicate that the date palm tree has existed for at least 50 million years.  While native to the Middle East and the Indus Valley, they were spread by traders into southwest Asia, northern Africa, Spain and Italy.  Eventually they were introduced into the New World in the 18th Century and are still grown in Mexico and California.  Egypt is the largest producer of the fruit worldwide.

     The name "date" comes from the Greek word daktulos, meaning "finger" which the small fruit resembles.  They range in color from bright red to bright yellow when ripe.  They are very versatile and can be eaten out of hand, pitted and stuffed, or chopped and used in any number of sweet and savory dishes.  One popular use is in the holiday favorite date nut bread.  Dates can also be dehydrated, ground and mixed with grain, used as stock feed for camels.  And in Pakistan a thick syrup is made from the ripe fruit and is used on leather goods as a coating and also applied to pipes to prevent leaks.

     There are 3 main types of dates: soft, semi-dry, and dry and are a good source of both iron and potassium.  They also contain a healthy amount of dietary fiber with a sugar content of 80%.  In 2008 an interesting medical study was conducted that discovered that women who consumed 6 dates a day in their final 4 weeks of pregnancy had less difficulty delivering their child.

     Fifty varieties of dates have been cultivated over the centuries in the Middle East and North Africa.  All have names dating (no pun intended) back into antiquity.  But ironically the largest and sweetest of them all, came to be known as the Medjool, Arabic for "unknown."

     So if you want to have a good time with an old date, consider a meal with Medjool.