The exotic dates are appropriate for many preparations and if you consume them raw, they retain all their properties.
Coming from a large palm tree native to the Middle East, the date adapts to any place with dry and arid climate. A date palm can give, in its best conditions, up to 200 kg of fruit, which shows the generosity and abundance of this plant.
A FRUIT WITH MANY VARIETIES
There are numerous varieties of dates that can be obtained in the market both fresh and dried. Also, among the dry there are soft, semi-dry and dry.
- Date of light. The dry date that I use the most is the so-called, in Arabic, Deglet Nour, whose translation into Spanish is “date of light”. It is soft, soft and quite easy to use in the kitchen, as it integrates well with the rest of the ingredients. It works like other good sweeteners, but retains its specific character.
- Medjool. It is the largest, sweetest and fleshiest. I do not use it to sweeten, but as a main ingredient, since by itself it is a great recipe.
- Then we find many other varieties such asBahri, Halawi and Mazafati, which are usually taken fresh, as they are juicier and very soft, although each has its distinctive flavor. And we also find the Zahidi, which is drier and less sweet… And the list could go on.
ENERGY IN ABUNDANCE
Like any fruit, the date is very nutritious and has great beneficial properties for the body. First of all, it provides immediate energy and, thanks to the fiber, lasting. It is also rich in minerals such as potassium (335 mg in 50g), magnesium (30 mg) and iron (1.5 mg).
5 RAW PREPARATIONS WITH DATES
I recommend that to make the following preparations you acquire the dates with bone, because they are better preserved. Those sold boneless may have added sugar.
- Like a honey: soak them a little, depending on how dry they are, and then crush them to an unctuous consistency, like honey. This preparation can be applied to endless recipes as a sugar replacement.
- Fillers: once the bone is removed, fill them with nuts, a cream, etc.
- Dipped in chocolate: melt 120 g of cocoa butter in a water bath, mix it with 80 g of cocoa powder, 50 g of lucuma, 1 pinch of salt and 50 ml of agave syrup and ready. You can now bathe the dates and take them to cool so that they harden.
- In nougat: crush dates with nuts to your liking until you reach a moldable consistency and shape them into nougat. You can add flavors such as coconut, cocoa, carob, etc., or add crushed hemp to make energy bars, or give them a round shape to get truffles.
- Cakes: with the base of the nougat, spread it in a cake mold and fill it with crushed fruit, cut into strips or grated (mango, apple, pear, banana, pineapple, etc).
