2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Date (Latin Phoenix dactylifera) - a plant from the Palm family, the fruits of which are suitable for human consumption. These incredibly nutritious fruits in the shortest possible time saturate the body with valuable nutrients and perfectly satisfy suddenly overcome hunger.
History
For many millennia, dates have been and continue to be one of the main foods in North Africa and the Middle East. Most scientists consider Mesopotamia to be the birthplace of this culture - some evidence of its cultivation was found there 4000 years BC. NS. Meanwhile, in India, it is believed that for the first time date palms were domesticated by the carriers of the Indian civilization.
Quite often, the date palm was also applied to the walls of the temples of Assyria and Babylonia. And in the days of Ancient Egypt, the fruits of this unique tree were actively used as a valuable raw material in the production of wine.
In addition, dates were mentioned more than once in the texts of various sacred scriptures (in the Koran, the Bible, etc.). Saint Onuphrius, who was a hermit in the desert, ate precisely dates. And in Southern Europe, date palm leaves were actively used during Palm Sunday services.
Dates are especially appreciated in Islam: in the Quran, these fruits are mentioned as many as 29 times, and the prophet Muhammad loved them very much.
Description
The date palm is a squat shrub or tree, equipped with numerous pinnately-separated leaves. The vast majority of trees have only one trunk, but sometimes you can find palms with several trunks.
The rather long leaves of this plant are equipped with sharp and very strong spines near the bases.
Little yellow flowers are collected in bizarre paniculate inflorescences. And the fruits of the date palm are in the shape of an elongated berry with a single bone.
Date trees begin to bear fruit approximately in the fourth year, however, the first output of marketable products in full is achieved only after five to six years. As a rule, eight to ten kilograms of harvest are harvested from each palm tree. And as soon as the age of the trees reaches thirteen years, their yield increases to sixty to eighty kilograms of dates from a palm tree. Such a high yield is characteristic of this crop for sixty to eighty years.
Beneficial features
Just like many other dried fruits, dates are a fairly high-calorie product. Their energy value for every 100 g is over 200 kcal (on average - from 220 to 280). But they do not contain cholesterol.
Dates are very useful for various cardiovascular diseases. They also help to normalize the work of the gastrointestinal tract and are excellent for colds.
In addition, there is a legend according to which all the complex of substances necessary for a full-fledged human nutrition is contained in dates. And in some legends and tales, there are references to the fact that people ate only water and dates for several years in a row.
In terms of the glycemic index, dates are the most real record holders. Therefore, people with diabetes are strongly advised to dose their use.
In folk medicine, dates have long been used to fight various tumors, oncology, tuberculosis, as well as infectious and some other ailments.
And the dried fruits of the date palm have a very beneficial effect on the brain - its performance in the case of eating dates increases by 20% or even more.
Arabs make an excellent pasta from dates, which can be easily preserved throughout the whole year. In addition, wonderful compotes, jelly and muesli are prepared from these fruits. They are no less widely used in the preparation of all kinds of confectionery delights. And also wonderful honey and very original flour are made from dates.
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