Dates in nature. What are royal dates and where do they grow

Dates are juicy sweet berries of brown or dark red color. We eat them when we want something to please ourselves, something unusual and tasty. In stores and markets, they are sold by weight, or packaged in beautiful bags. And how they got on the counter, where they come from and how dates grow, few people can tell.

Are dates good?

Dates, like all dried fruits, are quite high in calories. Them the energy value exceeds 279 kcal per 100 g. Their composition is difficult to compare with other exotic delicacies in terms of their diversity and benefits:

• The amount of various minerals in dates can reach up to 90%. Namely: phosphorus, calcium, iron, sodium, magnesium, manganese, aluminum, sulfur, boron, cobalt.
• More than 25 different amino acids, including: tryptophan and glutamine amino acid, which affect the functioning of the brain, stop the aging process of cells.
• Vitamins: B, C, A, pantothenic acid.
• Alimentary fiber.
• Beta carotene.
• Sugars: glucose and fructose.

Thanks to this composition, dates have numerous useful properties:

1. Improve eyesight.
2. When used on an empty stomach, they kill the unfavorable flora of the stomach and intestines.
3. Improve appetite.
4. Useful for pregnant women.
5. Increase male power.
6. Useful in diseases of the heart muscle and to strengthen blood vessels.

We don't usually use this product that often, but it turns out Eating only dates and water, you can give up everything else. Read more about the benefits of dates.

The harm of dates for the body

Yes, dates are extremely useful. But still, not for everyone. What is the harm of these fruits for the human body:

• For those who have digestive problems, it is not advisable to eat dates in large quantities, as their sticky structure is quite difficult to digest and can interfere with the normal secretion of the stomach. Therefore, if you suffer from gastritis or enteritis, it is better to refuse this product.
• People who are sick diabetes, dates are contraindicated.
• Dates should not be eaten before going to bed, you may be tormented by insomnia. This is due to the fact that the fruits will be in the stomach for quite a long time, and the body simply will not be able to sleep peacefully during such active processes.
• After you have eaten dates, it is better to drink them with water or tea, because they can stick to your teeth and cause cavities. Because they contain a lot of sugar.
• To keep dried dates longer, they are treated with sulfur dioxide, which can inflame the stomach lining or even cause ulcers.

As we have seen, there are fewer minuses in eating dates than pluses, but they exist and should not be overlooked.

How to store dates at home

Dates are harvested in different types: fresh, dried, pressed. Each date requires careful handling and storage.

• Fresh dates in our area - a rarity, but if you have relatives who sent them to you from hot countries, such as Egypt or Tunisia, then you should store them in the refrigerator. They stay there for up to two months. To prevent fruits from absorbing odors, wrap them in paper - this old way food storage is the most reliable.
• Dried dates also do not like light and heat, so you can store them in the refrigerator, or better - in the freezer. Frozen fruits are stored for a long time and do not lose their useful qualities. Take out a few a day to eat.
• Pressed dates can be kept anywhere and any way, as they undergo heat treatment.

Date recipes

Of course, dates are a delicacy that is delicious to eat just like that, but if you eat them all the time, then you can diversify your date menu a little:

• Cake with dates without baking .

1. Grind hazelnuts (0.5 cups) and dates (1 cup) in a food processor.
2. Pour into a baking dish, pre-laying foil.
3. Bananas (3 pieces), vanilla pod (1 piece), almond milk (300 ml), cocoa (1 tablespoon) and sorghum syrup (100 ml) beat in a blender.
4. Add to agar-agar (3 teaspoons) and heat on fire for 5-10 minutes.
5. Pour the nuts laid out in the mold with this mixture.
6. Leave in the refrigerator to chill for an hour.

The cake is ready. Drizzle with melted chocolate before serving.

• Healthy date candies .

1. Chopped almonds (50 g) divided into two piles.
2. To one of them add walnuts(25 g) and grind again in a blender. Add dates (5 pieces) and bananas (0.5 banana), mix.
3. That heap of almonds, which remained untouched, mix with cocoa.
4. Take a teaspoon of date dough and roll in a mixture of cocoa, shape.
5. Remove the resulting sweets in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.

Such recipes are good both for the arrival of guests and for a quiet family tea party. They will be useful due to the content of a large amount of nuts and dates, which are prepared in a way that does not undergo strong heat treatment and remain raw.

How to grow dates from seed

After all of the above, after we understand how useful dates are, and that their benefits persist in fresh produce, you can try to grow these delicious fruits yourself and get a high-quality, healthy dessert.

1. We take out the stone from the date and soak it in water. To make it easier for the sprout to come out, you can rub the bone with sandpaper.
2. When the sprout has made its way out, we transplant it into a pot with peat and sand in half. Pour abundantly with water.
3. When the sprout grows. We'll have to transplant it again, into a larger pot. The bottom can be laid out with drainage. Avoid direct sunlight, the tree does not like this.
4. In summer, it is better to rearrange the plant on the balcony, but not in the sun.
5. Keep an eye on soil moisture, especially in summer, water the plant at least once a week with water that has previously settled for a couple of days.

Be patient, because the tree does not grow in vivo, its development may slow down several times. For example, a bone can hatch only after 4-6 months.

We learned about the benefits and harms of dates, how to store them and how to grow them from the seed ourselves. But they forgot to talk about how dates grow in nature.

The photo shows that they grow on date palms. Trees begin to bear fruit only after 4-5 years of planting. These palm trees grow mainly in the countries of the Middle East and North Africa: Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Tunisia.

Video about growing dates

In this video, biologist Irina Voitenko will tell and show how date palms grow on the streets of Israel, how they look and in what conditions they grow:

Doctors say that 10 dates a day are enough to provide your body with the daily need for magnesium, copper, sulfur, calcium, iron and others. useful elements. Dates are one of the most famous oriental delicacies. Many people think that they cannot harm our body, but is it true? In this article on the site, you will find out where dates grow, what benefits and harm they can do to our body, and also what can be prepared from this oriental delicacy.

Where and how dates grow

These fruits grow on a date palm. One tree grows for about 60 years and every year brings a bountiful harvest. Dates are native to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. To date, Saudi Arabia is the most important producer and exporter of dates, followed by Egypt, Bahrain, Iran, Syria, Tunisia, Algeria and the United Arab Emirates. good harvest with date palm receive at 5-6 years of growth. From one tree, you can collect approximately 50-80 kg of fruit.

Dates: their benefits and harms

The fruits of the date palm are tasty and nutritious (100 grams contain more than 300 kilocalories), but not everyone can eat them. Since there are a lot of sugars in dates (about 70 percent). They are not recommended:

• patients with diabetes;
• prone to obesity;
• suffering from peptic ulcer;
• having allergies;
• patients with gastritis with high acidity.

Coarse fiber, contained in fruits in large quantities, irritates the mucous membrane of the digestive tract. But with constipation, dates are recommended. These fruits are useful for gout and urolithiasis, since they do not contain purine bases. The end product of the breakdown of purines is uric acid, an increase in the content of which is unfavorable for the patient's body.

Dates are rich in mineral salts, especially potassium and iron. And since potassium, as you know, plays a big role in the regulation of water-salt metabolism and cardiac activity, dates should be included in your diet for those who have diseases of the heart and blood vessels, of course, if there are no diseases of the stomach and intestines. The iron contained in dates contributes to the enrichment of blood with oxygen, activates cellular respiration. They also strengthen the gums and teeth, hair, help improve skin condition, and also have a positive effect on our vision and liver.

Doctors advise pregnant women to use dates. They are included in the menu of astronauts. Some argue that a person can eat only this oriental delicacy for 2-3 months and at the same time not deprive his body of vital vitamins and minerals. After all, these fruits contain a huge amount of vitamins A, B, C. Below is a list of diseases that dates help with:

• heart disease;
• Nervous paralysis of the facial nerve;
• Nervous fatigue;
• Dystrophy (date decoction);
• Facilitates childbirth.

Date calories. How many dates per day can you eat?

100 g of the edible part of these dried fruits contains 150-275 calories, if eaten dried or dried - 340 kcal. As you may have noticed, they are quite high in calories and therefore you can quickly get enough of them. If you decide to go on a diet, but it is difficult for you to give up sweets, then dates will be an excellent substitute for sweets. Many mothers are interested in whether it is possible to give dates to children. Of course! 2-4 pieces will be enough per day.

Useful properties of dates

1. 100 g contains a large number of dietary fiber. For this amount of dried fruit data 6.7g. They normalize the work of the intestines and remove toxins.
2. Pantothenic acid regulates metabolism. Also improves immunity, controls work nervous system and adrenals.
3. Vitamin A. Your nails will become strong, beautiful. And the hair will be healthy, the ends will stop splitting.
4. Potassium. Only 150-200 g of dates replenish daily requirement potassium in the body. We need this element, as it maintains normal cardiac muscles.
5. Calcium. We need this macronutrient, since the strength of our bones and teeth depends on it.

In addition to the above properties, this dried fruit contains thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine, folacin, vitamin D.

What can be cooked from dates?

A huge number of dishes can be prepared from this oriental sweetness. In this section, we will consider one recipe. With the help of these dried fruits, you can make a cupcake. To prepare it you will need:

• Dates - 125 g;
• Banana - 1pc;
• Pecan nuts - 50g;
• Raisins - 100g;
• Kishmish - 100g;
• Cinnamon - 1 tsp;
• Baking powder - 1 tsp;
• Dark rum - 1.5 tablespoons;
• Egg white - 1 pc;
• Polenta - 50g.

Turn on the oven at 180 C. Then in rectangular shape put parchment paper. Remove the seeds from the dates and pour the fruits themselves with 100 ml of boiling water. Put on fire and let it boil for 5 minutes. Then you need to drain the water, put the dates in a blender and make a puree. Add banana, a little water and mix everything again.

Take a bowl and mix nuts, raisins, spices, baking powder, polenta, rum and date-banana mixture in it. Whisk the egg white until foamy and fold gently into the batter. Pour this mixture into a baking dish and smooth it out. You can decorate with nuts on top. Put in the oven and wait 1 hour. Check the readiness of the cake with wooden stick. Let cool and then remove from the mold. It must be cut when it is completely cool. Otherwise it will fall apart. Bon appetit!

As you may have noticed, the date is very useful for human body. Dried dates can be added to almost any dish. Add in the morning to oatmeal, ice cream, decorate pastries. A little of your imagination and you will be able to please your near and dear ones with a new dish.

A popular oriental sweet - dates - is very tasty. This is a great substitute for candy. Dates are rich in various vitamins and minerals. Dates are used in cooking, as well as in medicine for the treatment nervous diseases, insomnia and bowel problems. Sometimes date lovers are interested in which tree dates grow on.

So, dates are fruits that grow on some types of date palms. Dates first appeared in the hot countries of the Middle East and North Africa. In ancient times, dates grew in areas where Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, are located today. However, the Indians believe that dates first appeared on their lands. And many scientists are inclined to think that ancient Mesopotamia is the birthplace of dates.

Today, dates can be found growing, except Eastern countries, in Australia, Mexico, USA. And even on Black Sea coast Date palms grow in Russia, but as abundantly as in the tropics, the trees do not bear fruit here.

Dates can often be found on the shelves of our stores and markets. But not everyone knows how dates grow and how they are harvested.

How does a date start growing?

A date palm grown in natural conditions of a hot climate is a tree up to 30 m high with beautiful feathery leaves, the length of which can reach 5 m. To collect fruits from such tall tree, workers climb a palm tree, cut bunches of dates and lower them to the ground, where they are then dried.

As practice shows, the date grows well at home. However, a plant grown at home will not bear fruit, although some dates may even flower indoors.

If you decide to grow a date palm at home, then you can do this by planting a seed in the ground. You should know that only a bone from a fruit that has not been heat treated is suitable for planting.

The date bone must be cleaned and washed well before planting. After that, it is desirable to dry it slightly in the air. Some try to speed up the germination of the bone, but this will happen by itself, maybe a little longer. It is better to plant a few seeds, and to increase the likelihood of germination. Be sure to lay a layer of drainage at the bottom of the container, as the date palm does not tolerate stagnant water. The soil should consist of clay, humus, leaf ground, peat and sand in equal proportions.

When planting, the stone vertically deepens into the ground by about one and a half lengths. The soil in the container with the date pit should always be slightly damp. After 1-3 months, sprouts will appear in place of the planted seeds. When they grow up to 10-15 cm, the plants should be transplanted into separate, not very wide containers. The main thing is that the pots are deep enough, since during this period the seedling begins to actively grow roots.

It will be necessary to replant the date palm annually for the first 5 years, while each time the size of the pot should be slightly increased. The method of transplanting a palm tree is only transshipment, since the plant has fragile roots. A container with a grown palm tree should be placed in a bright place away from heating devices. In summer, the palm tree will feel good in the fresh air.

The date palm loves moist air, so you can even spray it several times a day in summer. As often as possible, wipe the palm leaves with a damp cloth, which will improve appearance tree and add moisture to it. The date plant feels great even in direct sunlight. The only thing to do in this case is to regularly rotate the palm tree so that it forms a beautiful uniform crown.

In the summer months, the date palm requires abundant watering, while in winter the need for water is reduced to a minimum.

Probably, all lovers of exotic fruits have known since childhood the taste of dried dates - very sweet and incomparable, no worse than any candy. There will be a sufficient number of people who have tried to successfully grow ornamental plant at home, from the pit of an eaten date.

The date palm is rightfully considered "bread" for the inhabitants of the desert, and it is also called the "oasis of the desert", as it provides travelers with the opportunity not only to have a bite to eat on a distant and hot journey (date fruits do not spoil even in the strongest heat), but also and enjoy the coolness in the shade of spreading branches.

Countries where date palms grow

This plant is native to Asia and Africa. It is known that already in the 4th c. BC e., the Arabs, the inhabitants of ancient Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), already actively consumed the fruits of dates for food, as well as in medicinal purposes. The plant is also mentioned in the Bible and the Koran. Bedouins build dwellings from their trunks, and cover roofs with branches.

Palm branches are fed to horses and camels, and a variety of wines and sugar are made from the juice, in a word: date palm - indispensable for life in North Africa and Asia.

Dates are grown and exported in industrial quantities by countries such as: Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, Iraq and Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Syria, Oman and Sudan.

The leader in the export of fruit is Saudi Arabia.

Spain- the only country in Europe where dates grow well and bear fruit.

Today you can see these powerful representatives of the flora in countries such as: USA (California), Mexico and Australia.

How dates grow in Israel

Israel is known to grow some of the best dates in the world. It's all about the right natural conditions and the right professional approach to this case.

Even the ancient Romans and Greeks described dates growing near the Jordan River and Dead Sea, but later, in the Middle Ages, for unknown reasons, this tree disappeared from the territory of the state. Only in the 50s. 20th century Israeli representatives secretly met in Syria with the Arabs involved in the cultivation of dates, and adopted from them the knowledge and secrets necessary to care for the palm tree and its fruits. They also purchased several seedlings, which were smuggled.

Now Israel is one of the main exporters of dates in the world..

Fruits premium are sold as a whole, and from a little worse they make excellent sweets, such as pastille, sweets, jams and others. Also, a variety of spices are made from them.

Here, all trees (grown for industrial purposes) are pollinated by hand: from individuals male collect pollen, and driving up on special cars pollinate each branch of female palms manually.

It is also obligatory to thin out the dates, this is necessary in order for the fruits to be as large and of high quality as possible. Thinning is also done by hand - each branch is inspected and left right amount shoots, deleting all the rest.

Varieties of dates grown in Israel

Basically, they grow three varieties of dates:

1. "Majul" - which means "king" - this name is fully justified by its popularity and the quality of the fruit.
2. Hai'an dates are incredibly tasty and beautiful fruits. They are harvested not fully ripe and stored in special freezers at a temperature of minus eighteen degrees, where they ripen. These dates are yellow when fresh and turn brown when dried. Very tasty and sugary in any form. They begin to harvest in mid-September at night (due to extreme heat), from two in the morning to six in the morning.
3. Dates of the "barhi" variety - the fruits of this variety also have excellent palatability, in fresh yellow, can reach the size of a small apple.

Where do dates grow in Russia

As you know, date palms need to grow and bear fruit. hot tropical or subtropical climate. There are not very many such places on the territory of our country, only in the south of the Caucasus Mountains.

Many such palm trees grow in Sochi, but this is not at all ideal conditions for this plant, because the trees themselves grow, and they even have fruits, but the quality of these fruits is incomparable with fruits grown in Asia.

AT room conditions small bushes also grow, which everyone can admire.

Don't expect fruit home plant, not only because of the inconsistency of growth conditions with natural ones, but also because they need pollen from trees of the opposite kind for pollination.

Description of the date tree

Date palms, also called "phoenixes"- these are mostly trees, although there are also low shrubs with long and strong pinnate leaves with thorns on the base. The plant belongs to the palm family. They can be with one or more trunks and reach a height of up to 20-30 meters (in rare cases, up to 40).

The tree blooms with small yellow inflorescences. These are dioecious plants, they are divided into female and males. There are no fruits on the representatives of males; pollen appears on them, which pollinates females.

Types of dates

The most popular type of date edible fruits is an date finger(ordinary).

There are approximately 17 varieties of dates, the most delicious and common are "deglet nur", "majkhol", "hiyan", "Chinese" and "barhi".

Varieties "Robelena" and "Canarian" are well suited for growing at home. They are grown only in decorative purposes, and do not belong to the type of finger dates.

Harvest

In the third or fourth year, the first fruits can be expected, but a full-fledged harvest appears in the 5-6th year of the tree's life. There are usually a huge number of fruits on dates, there are cases when, under their weight, during gusts of wind, the palm trees themselves even break. The tree holds the record for the number of years and fruit yields. On average, a palm tree bears fruit for 60-80 years. For 5-6 years, each tree brings up to 10 kg of fruit, and from about the 13th, the yield can reach about 80 kilograms, you can even harvest up to 150 kg from one tree.

Growing dates with your own hands

To grow this plant does not need to make a lot of effort, but a little is still worth the effort. For successful cultivation palm trees at room conditions, you need to follow some rules:

• Soil - must be fertile and light, for this it is necessary to prepare a substrate consisting of the following components: sand, sod land(clay), peat, leaf and humus.
• The stone can be used from fresh, dried or dried fruit, this practically does not affect germination. Israeli scientists even conducted interesting experiment associated with the germination of this plant: during archaeological excavations, a dried date bone was discovered, which, in their opinion, is about two thousand years old, it was planted and after some time the palm tree sprouted.
• You can grow a date only from a seed. There are many complicated options for planting a plant when the bone is subjected to various treatments. However, such "procedures" are not obligatory at all, one can argue about their benefits for the seed itself for a long time, since they do not correspond to natural conditions tree germination. The simplest and natural way, is the landing in the prepared the right soil which is described in the first paragraph.
• In a small container with small holes at the bottom - to pass excess moisture, and with prepared soil, you need to deepen the bone (in vertical position, up with a sharp edge) by about 1.5 - 2 cm. After that, pour a little.
• Next, you need to put the pot in a well-lit and warm (at room temperature: 20-25 degrees), water moderately about once a week, and wait for the germination of the palm.
• After about 2-3 weeks (but there are times when you need to wait 2 months), a sprout should appear.
• date palms have a very fast growing, strong, powerful and extensive root system. Therefore, transplant them into a pot large sizes required approximately once a year. After germination, literally after 2-4 weeks, you need to transplant the plant into a medium-sized container (if the date is not transplanted in time, its overgrown roots will strongly intertwine near the walls of the pot, then the transplant will threaten to damage the root system)
• The plant loves well-ventilated rooms (no drafts). And in spite of their natural origin, phoenixes love well-moistened air, it is advisable to sometimes spray the sheets with settled water room temperature. Under conditions when the plant is standing near the battery, it is necessary to put a small container with water next to it to humidify the air, or, for the same purpose, you can put a piece of dampened cloth on the battery. clean water(without powder and detergents).
• Watering - moderate (about once a week, and in the summer it can be a little more often).
• They can be damaged by such pests as: a mealybug (mealy), scale insects and a tick (spider web). When they are found, the sheets should be immediately processed: it can be just wiping warm water, or water with a small amount soap (preferably for children), and you can also buy special chemicals in the store.
• The leaves of small palm trees are very fond of cats, so at first it is worth hiding the plant until the leaves become a little coarse.
• Top dressing - in winter time the bush is at rest, so it is better not to fertilize it at this time, but in the autumn-spring period it is advisable to take care of top dressing, which can be organic and mineral. Organic: humus, compost and bird droppings; mineral: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium. Complex mineral fertilizers, containing several useful elements at once. About how to use mineral supplements can be found in the instructions or from the seller, organic are prepared in the following way: one tablespoon of fertilizer is added to two liters of settled and cool water (in this way, you can fertilize the soil every two weeks, fielding a moderate amount of this "solution").

Useful properties of dates and their use in the food industry

1. This exotic fruit contains a large amount of dietary fiber, some of which are soluble and others insoluble, they prevent the rapid absorption of sugar, so their glycemic index is low. Eating dates energizes and gives a long-term feeling of satiety.
2. Date honey - silan - is highly valued and very popular in the East. For its manufacture, the fruits are peeled and the stone is removed, then the juice is extracted, which is diluted with special sugar water and evaporated until the liquid reaches the consistency of molasses, then the "honey" is poured into pre-sterilized jars and closed. The shelf life of such a product is very long, and the benefits of eating it can hardly be overestimated.
3. Dates are used to make a natural sweetener.

Fruit contains great amount useful substances : vitamins A, B1, B2, folic acid, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, etc. And they also contain a large amount of calories - approximately 200 kcal. per 100 g. Many argue that a person can live for a very long time on dates and water alone.

In cooking, there are a huge number of recipes for preparing various dishes with the addition of date palm fruits: sweet pilafs, various pastries, sweets, jams, drinks and more.

The use of dates to improve well-being and promote health

This fruit is advised to be taken for many ailments, such as:

• Digestive disorder. Fruits should be eaten in the morning, on an empty stomach - this stabilizes the digestive tract and eliminates harmful "representatives" of the intestinal microflora.
• With frequent use of dates, appetite improves.
• Helpful in restoring vision.
• It is desirable to use fruits for pregnant women to strengthen the health of the child.

With all the above useful properties It's still not worth it to abuse dates. For their beneficial effect on the body, it is enough to eat no more than 10 pieces a day.

The date palm is an inaccessible plant for growing in our latitudes, however, for those who want to bring a little exoticism and the atmosphere of distant countries into their home, growing an ornamental date is an ideal option!