Have You Tried Cooking with Dates
The date fruit is one of the most ancient crops, growing for thousands and thousands of years.
When cooking with dates, California or African remember large portion of the calories in dates food come from sugars.
Dates are the fruit of the date palm, a tree native to Northern Africa. Botanically the date fruit is a berry. It takes about 200 days from pollination for the date to reach full ripening. One medium size Deglet Noor date has about 44 calories and almost no fat.
A large portion of the calories in dates food come from sugars. Deglet Noor dates have many nutritional benefits; antioxidants, sodium, cholesterol and fat free, and being nutrient in dense both fiber and potassium.
Hababauk is the term used for the female flower and the period just after pollination when the young fruit is still creamy white before gradually turning green at the kimri stage. Stages of the ripening of a Deglet Noor date:
Kimri
Khalal
Rutab
Tamr
Cooking with dates is easy. North African recipes use Deglet Noor dates as an ingredient for breakfast, lunch, dinner or appetizers and dessert. Often cooking with dates in African recipes, Deglet Noor dates are stuffed with sweet or savory fillings or simply enjoyed on its own.
Sweet Date Couscous Dessert Recipe
Ingredients
3/4 cup instant couscous
1/2 cup dried dates, chopped
1/4 cup toasted almonds, chopped
1/4 cup honey
1/8 teaspoon orange flower water
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
Cook couscous according to package directions toss with remaining ingredients, serve warm as a dessert or add milk for a warm cereal breakfast.