Date: The Healing Fruit of the Desert

Cinzia Cuneo 1 dicembre, 2012 frutta, cucine del mondo

Date palm is one of the most cultivated palm trees in the world and also one of the oldest domesticated fruit trees (since about 8000 years). Originating in the Euphrates basin, it spread westward across North Africa and eastward to India.

Date palm is one of the few plants that can survive in the inhospitable desert climate (very hot during daytime, cold at night). Its fruit was an important source of concentrated energy for nomads: 1 kilo of dried dates providing around 3000 calories.

Even today, in North Africa and the Near and Middle East, dates continue to play an important role. Nearly 90% of the production is consumed locally. In addition to the fruit, many other products are obtained from the date palm including wood, fibre, a coffee substitute (with roasted and ground kernels) and even alcohol (with the sap).

Fresh as well as dried dates are a good source of dietary fibre, especially the insoluble type, and they contain a high concentration of antioxidants. Rich in carbohydrates, these are the perfect fruits for any intense and long term sports activities.

Try our recipes with dates:

Date and Quinoa Squares

See the recipe >>

Cheese-Stuffed-Dates

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No-Cook Date Bars

No-Cook Date Bars

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Originally published in the Journal de Montréal on December 1^st, 2012.

Autori

Cinzia Cuneo

Italiana di nascita e canadese d'adozione, Cinzia ha deciso di coniugare le sue competenze professionali e la sua passione per la buona tavola sviluppando un servizio per aiutare i numerosi «aventi bisogno» a riprendere il controllo della loro alimentazione. Così è nata SOSCuisine. Ingegnere di formazione al Politecnico di Torino, Cinzia ha conseguito un Master's Degree in scienze applicate all'École Polytechnique de Montréal.