Dried and fresh dates are available the whole year round, but the fresh type are best around November to January. Conversions, Charts   & Substitutions Cover with lid and braise until sauce is reduced or thick, the fresh dates and the chicken pieces are tender. A buttery, melt-in-your mouth treat (and my personal favorite). Dark and fruity, a good substitute for balsamic vinegar. The date flesh is soft and sweet and can be eaten fresh or dried or used in sweet desserts like breads, cakes and cookies. Holiday & Party Recipes Global Destinations In the UK, you can find fresh dates in Greek and Middle Eastern shops in late summer. Today, most countries around the world that cook with dates use them in sweets and confections, but they're also added as a flavor contrast to non-sweet dishes.  Inside My Skull Right from the palm, they're supposed to be pale, plump, even slightly astringent, ripening, sweetening and darkening until they reach the state in which you're most likely to find them: dark and sticky and sweet. Israel—Haroset, a traditional holiday dish of the Jewish Passover, combines dried fruit and nuts. Kate's Books They also freeze very well. Drizzle on a roast as a glaze, or over fresh goat cheese. Tahini-stuffed dates with a chocolate and cardamom sauce. Cooking Medjool Dates: Price: $12.50. The finely sliced dates add a touch of caramel sweetness to every bite, while the cinnamon-roasted almonds give the salad crunch. Supermarkets sell these packaged in the dried fruit aisle. Halawi—Sweet and sticky (halawi means "sweet" in Arabic); semi-soft, moist, and higher on the sweetness scale than many other dates, with a caramel color and undertone. Here, they add depth to roasted chicken with orange wedges, fresh thyme sprigs, and briny green olives. Soft dates are mostly eaten fresh, are mild in flavor, with lower sugar content. Source: Date Square Cookies 1. If you can get ahold of some properly sweet fresh dates, try this salad: • Recipe: Asian Pear, Fresh Date, and Pomegranate Salad. One such type of pickle combines dates, mango, chiles, ginger, vinegar, and spices. Dried dates are often coated in syrup to keep them soft and sticky.    Advertising Refrigerated dates will last up to a year. 5 of 6 Flourless Chocolate-Date Cake with Salted-Caramel Sauce Today, most countries around the world that cook with dates use them in sweets and confections, but they're also added as a flavor contrast to non-sweet dishes. Every year I do this with a different recipe and it turns the date mixture a very putrid shade of … I think that this is a very healthy fruit. Dried dates look very similar and it can be hard to tell the difference if you buy them packaged. A full grown date palm, or Phoenix dactylifera can reach 82 feet (25 meters) in height, with a spreading crown of greenish leaves. water, figs, ice cubes, melon, fresh basil leaves and 1 more Moist Nougat and Fig Muffins with Spicy Syrup On dine chez Nanou cinnamon stick, sugar, buckwheat flour, ground almonds, cream and 8 … Using dates in place of sugar makes for a very fudgey and chocolaty-tasting brownie with no added sugar. In fact, while bananas surpass dates in vitamins C and A, dates have about twice as much potassium, three times as much iron, twice as much protein, and six times as much calcium as bananas. The nutrients present in dates are easily digestible On an average, a diabetic is allowed to get up to ten percent of total calories in his/her diet from sugar on a regular basis. Date vinegar—vinegar fermented from dates. If desired, pour the dates into a colander and shake away excess oatmeal flour. Dates grow in large bunches weighing some 20 pounds (10 kg) and yielding as many as a thousand fruits. To make date sugar, arrange sliced dates on a baking sheet and bake at 450 F for 10 to 15 minutes, or until they become very dry and hard as rocks. If you’re looking to buy fresh dates, they’re available at … Top each with a tiny sprinkle of black pepper, sea salt and the tiniest bit of smoked paprika (just a …    Privacy Statement, Guide to Date Cooking Products: Pieces, Vinegars, Powder and Pastes, https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/7348/2, Bacon-Wrapped Hot Stuffed Dates (with Green Olives), Fried Hamouli Cheese with Pear and Spiced Dates, Cumin-Curry Tuna Salad with Dates and Chickpeas, Costa Rican Terrine with Coconut-Date Vinaigrette, Mediteranean Burger (with Lamb, Dates and Mint), Smoked Breast of Pheasant Salad with Pistachio and Date Dressing, Desert Date Shake with Yogurt and Cinnamon, Raw Food Recipe: Cherry Brownie Hearts (with Dates), The Date's Journey: Eden, Africa, the Americas, The Food Trade: North Africa's Arab Connection, Date Palms as Materials and as Holy Plants. Today, trekkers pack these firm dates as survival snacks. Fresh Dates have a very high sugar content, and can be added to your salads or used as a topping for your cooked dishes. I live in Egypt, a date-producing country, and even here we use dried dates rather than fresh ones. Instead of trying to add a tiny portion of a fresh leaf, use the dried version instead. So, now is the time to get clued up and fall in love with your dates! After they ripen a little more they get sweet and crunchy like an apple. Buying: Look for plump, soft dates; avoid any that are shriveled, show signs of mold or crystals on their skin. Date Palms grow best in the desert; hence, they are found in the deserts of Arizona and California. Morocco—Chicken is braised with dates and almonds. Snipping the dates with scissors works better than chopping with a knife; to further prevent sticking, dip the blades into warm water or flour periodically. Read the Fresh dates and olive curing discussion from the Chowhound Home Cooking food community. United States—Dates are often served as appetizers, stuffed with cream cheese, green olives, or almonds and baked. They're more common in the Middle East, though other world areas import them during Ramadan. There are hundreds of varieties, but deglet noor from North Africa and the Middle East is the most plentiful. I like using dates in baking, to make fruit cake or cookies. Dates vary in size from as small as an inch up to 2 1/2 inches. In California, a date shake is made in a blender with ice cream, dates, and milk. Bring to a bubbly boil then add in water to braise [add more if you like to have more sauce]. As dates are harvested in late autumn and early winter, this is when the best selection is available in the shops and they’re more likely to be fresh. Because dates are very high in sugar, they can easily be converted into sugar. Tip: To Chop Dates—Dates are sticky, especially when cut up. North African cuisine makes varied use of dates, notably in tagines and sweet couscous dishes. These brownies are slightly cakey; if you prefer a denser brownie, use only 1 egg instead of 2. Storing: Dried dates are actually not fully dried; they're sold slightly moist and are meant to be eaten that way. Iran—Persians of the past and present-day Iranians cooked liberally with dates, often with almonds, pistachios, or raisins, in rice dishes and stews as well as desserts, like Persian Date Cake (Ranginak). There are date palms in Southern parts of the United States. India—Pickled dishes, like chutneys, are served as condiments. France—Loaves of bread are baked with hazelnuts and chopped dates. Get the best of Insurance or Free Credit Report, browse our section on Cell Phones or learn about Life Insurance. Pork Tenderloin With Goat Cheese-stuffed Dates and Raspberry Chipotle Sauce Pork. Simply soak them in hot water, then … To chop in a food processor, add a bit of oatmeal to the bowl, process into a powder; then, add the dates and process until chopped. Bourbon-Glazed Fruit and Nut-Stuffed Pork Roast Pork. https://www.buzzfeed.com/ahmedaliakbar/date-recipes-for-eid Fresh dates: If you are lucky enough to find fresh dates, refrigerate them in a plastic bag; they'll last 2 weeks. Some versions include apples or raisins, but in other recipes dates are included. They were good, but like the article said, the dried version is sweeter. Eat As Is. Date Ripeness: Dates are also classified by their degree of ripeness. But dates are also nutritious and rich in potassium, a mineral particularly important for active athletes to balance the body's fluids. Fresh dates should be plump and moist with glossy skins. Check out our favorite recipes with dried or fresh dates, like bars, cookies and date cake! Dried dates are usually readily available in most markets, and fresh dates can be found in specialty markets in season. Or heat in a medium (350 degree F.) oven 5 minutes, covered. "Sparkling date juice" is sold in Islamic markets as a non-alcoholic alternative to champagne, especially at Ramadan. I've had fresh dates before. Using the Arabic names for each stage, from fresh to dried, dates progress along these stages: Date Varieties: More than a thousand date varieties exist (Basra alone boasts more than 350 types), but these are the ones most commonly sold in the Western world: Barhi—Like candy; among the softest and sweetest of all dates, with caramel tones. 5.0 out of 5 stars 2. Date paste—dried dates softened in water for several hours, then mashed and blended into a smooth, spreadable paste; popular in raw food diets. Name means "Date of Light" and the amber color is translucent when held to a light. Khadrawi—This type contains less invert sugar, and is better for those with sugar sensitivities. Cookbook Profiles A cousin of the deglet noor. 0 in basket. Buy unstoned dates for the best flavour. Sometimes food just works really well as it comes. Cooking Medjool Dates. Place on a baking sheet and bake until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Eat dates as a sweet snack, or chop them up and scatter them onto cereal in place of sugar or honey. Dried dates, though a little wrinkly, shouldn’t look emaciated, and should still be plump and glossy, with an even colour. Some people enjoy them chilled. These are fantastic with coffee after dinner, too. Dates are sweet and rich with a chewy, sticky texture. Like oregano, dried bay leaves can be pungent to the point of ruining dishes. Green dates are indeed very astringent, as Emily learned in this market report on fresh dates. 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