Your Guide to Dates: What They Are and How to Enjoy Them

Have you ever attended a party where the most popular and passed-around appetizers was some sort of stuffed and/or wrapped date? That's a good party.

But if that's your only exposure to the fruit dubbed "nature's candy", you're not alone. Though we're incredibly lucky to have this prized product in just about any grocery store we walk into, we often take it for granted – letting it lie lonely in the dried fruit section due to a lack of knowledge.

The truth is that dates are a spectacular, versatile food that hosts a laundry list of health benefits in what seems to be pure opposition to their sweetness. Complex, fun, and rich in historical significance, they're anything but boring or (dare I say it) dated.

What are Dates?

Dates are tropical stone fruit from trees called date palms. They grow in large clusters, like bunches of grapes do, but unlike grapes, they hang extremely high in the air – in excess of 50 feet up. Many growers choose to leave the fruit on the tree to dry out or cure, for a bit, utilizing an energy-efficient, solar-powered type of preservation.

Date palms are native to Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, and North Africa, and understandably, dates make a large imprint on the corresponding cuisines.

Get the recipe: Bacon-Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Blue Cheese

It's true that dates are arguably one of the sweetest fruits on the planet, and they continue to concentrate their sweetness as they dry out. This lightly withered fruit retains its softness but takes on a chewier quality. They'll still be jammy when you cut into them, and they taste like a larger, more concentrated, molasses-y raisin.

Medjool dates are the most widely consumed. They are larger (making them prime for stuffing with delicious things), softer, black to brown in color, and rich in sweetness, with notes of maple syrup on the tongue.

Deglet Noor dates are smaller, firmer, and a bit drier, amber in color with a slight translucence, and more elongated in shape. These are slightly less sweet and taste a bit nutty.

Where Do Dates Come From?

Most history dates the date back to around 4000 B.C., though some fossils suggest they may be over 50 million years old, their use documented in the Fertile Crescent between Egypt and Mesopotamia as far back as that. This makes them one of the very first tree crops ever cultivated by man. And here we are – happy little humans still enjoying them today – and getting more and more creative with how we use them.

How to Use Dates

Before diving into dates, make sure to remove the pit (they're called stone fruit for a reason). Slice the date lengthwise and pry it open a bit to get to the oval-shaped pit. The fibrous inner layer can be a bit of a shock when you cut one open for the first time, but rest assured it doesn't affect the flavor.

The skin, on the other hand, is a bit noticeable when the date is eaten raw, but is less pronounced when cooked.

Dates are used in cooking and in baking as a sweetener, but also for their nutrients, and often simply snacked on raw. In fact, in many cultures, it's common for a plate of dates, nuts, and other dried fruit to be a permanent fixture on the table, no matter the day or occasion.

Get the recipe: Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake

• Pair their sweetness with cheese or nut butter on toast, combine them with nuts and seeds for a healthy snack bar, or chop them up to use as a topping for yogurt, ice cream, or oatmeal.
• Stuff them with yummy morsels like blue cheese for a flavor-packed appetizer. You can go the extra mile and wrap those beauties in bacon. Pile them on a meat and cheese board.
• Blend them into smoothies or a delicious milkshake or eat them whole alongside your coffee or tea. Dates are wonderful in baked goods like scones, breads, and cookies, and are a natural addition to desserts. The secret to a good sticky toffee pudding? Dates!
• Offset savory dishes like spiced duck, stir them into braises or a slow-cooked stew, or make a sweet and salty marinade. Chop them up in a chicken salad for a unique pop of flavor.
• Dates are a much healthier substitute for white sugar. Make a date syrup for cooking or baking, or, to swap 1:1 for sugar while baking, make a date paste.

Health Benefits of Dates

These tender morsels are incredibly misleading because they taste so decadently sweet, yet pack a bunch of health benefits. How can that be? Well, "nature's candy" is chock full of naturally occurring sugar, not added sugar. And added sugar is the thing we should be limiting in our diets.

Dates are an excellent source of fiber. Fiber keeps you regular, supports your overall digestive health, and helps prevent weight gain and obesity.

Secondly, there's a range of antioxidants in these little powerhouses. Antioxidants protect cells from free radicals that may cause harmful reactions in the body and lead to disease.