For a long time, dates were the dried fruit that was gathering dust in the supermarket or nut shop. But for some time they have been popular, mainly because they impart such a delicious sweet taste to dishes. ‘Sugar leavers’, for example, opt en masse for dates. But is it really such a healthy sweetener?
Dates are the fruit of the date palm. They grow in clusters on the trees and are harvested in November and December. There are about 400 species, but we can only buy a few of them here.
Although you can eat dates fresh, they are usually dried and often added with an extra sugar layer to make them more attractive. Sugar-coated dates are shiny and sticky. Dates without sugar coating are dull in color. A fresh date, which you can hardly buy from us, is thick and juicy and has a smooth skin.
sugar bombs
Especially the so-called ‘sugar leavers’ who want to eat no or less sugar, opt en masse for dates. Dates are widely used in pies, biscuits, cakes and pastries. Nowadays there is even date syrup for sale for sweetening dishes.
It is not surprising that dates are used as a sweetener. This fruit is really full of sugars. Did you think bananas and grapes were high in sugars? Dates contain more. Fresh dates consist of more than 30 percent sugars. With dried dates, this rises to 70 percent. By way of comparison: the sugar content of bananas is 20 percent, of grapes 16 percent.
Healthy sweet?
Dates have a healthy image because they have been rediscovered as a natural source of sugar. But that’s wrong. They are just sugar bombs, which are also quite high in calories. They contain some fiber, but other fruits are much richer in vitamins and minerals.
Cooking with dates
- date-grape salad
- Date-walnut cake
- Couscous with dates and marinated chicken
- Pilav with dates, orange and almonds
