Dates are the superfood of nature: a powerhouse of minerals, energy and fibre. But how much do you really know about this rich, creamy piece of goodness? Here are 20 interesting facts about dates:
– The word ‘date’ comes from the Greek word daktylos, meaning finger, because a date looks like the tip of a finger.
– One cup of dates has about 380 calories, 27 per cent of the recommended daily requirement of potassium and 48 per cent of daily fibre needs. They also provide calcium, zinc, iron, copper, magnesium, calcium and other minerals that may help lower blood pressure, stroke risk and labour complications.
– Dates and camel milk are an unbeatable team. Camel milk is rich with fat and vitamin C, and combining that with vitamin A, B and D, makes them a perfect nutrition combination. An adult can survive with only 15 date fruits per day, which gives your body all the necessary minerals and vitamins for its existence.
– Date fruits stones are used for making soap and even eyeliners.
– Very few people are allergic to this fruit.
– Their low water and high sugar content gives them a shelf-life of many months, up to a year if stored correctly.
– Because the tree and its fruit have so many uses — from food to building materials — the date palm is known as the ‘tree of life’ in the Middle East, and it’s the national symbol of Saudi Arabia.
– Date palm seeds can go dormant for decades until the right light and water conditions present themselves.
– Dates were probably cultivated about 8,000 years ago in present-day Iraq.
– Date palm trees need at least 100 days of 100ºF heat and plenty of water to produce the best quality fruit.
– There are so many different types of date fruit. The UAE has more than 199 different types, with around 44 million palm trees. The TOP date producing country is Egypt.
– Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics mark years with images of full date palms, as the trees grow 12 new fronds a year.
– About 3 per cent of the earth’s farmland is covered by date palms, producing four million tons a year.
– There are more than 200 varieties of dates. Majdool, large and caramel-like, is the hardest to grow, and therefore one of the most expensive to buy.
– While they are high in sugar (about 93 grams per cup), many varieties have a low glycaemic index (GI), due to the fact that its fruit sugar is high in dietary fibre.
– Dates are mentioned several times in the Bible, and are the most frequently mentioned fruit in the holy Quran, probably ancestors to the oldest-known seed planted successfully in modern times.
– In Oman, when a son is born, they plant him a date tree. The date tree grows together with him and assures him that his family will never suffer from hunger.
– Bedouin tribes of the Middle East, who eat a high percentage of dates in their diet, have one of the lowest rates of cancer.
– The date palm is a very salt tolerant tree, and will grow well in alkaline soils where other plants will not. They are sometimes irrigated with ocean water.
– The high calories and excellent nutritional value, plus their ability to keep well for long periods of time, make dates great for emergency food rations.