Dates are an indispensable sweet food for our Ramadan iftar tables. Dates are from the Palmaceae family. Date trees, which have about two hundred varieties and are native to North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, are currently grown in the south of the Mediterranean basin, the Middle East, California and Australia, and in our country, the Aegean and especially the Mediterranean coastline. In addition, there are two subspecies grown in our country, the Datça (Crete) date and the Gölköy date. The fruits of these two species are the same flavor as the Arabian date, but their flesh is less.
The tree, which grows up to 15-24 m., has a branchless, simple trunk that exceeds 30 cm in thickness. The tree's hard, gray-green, and showy compound leaves, which sprout from the bottom, vary in length from 2 to 4 m, depending on the size of the tree. In the upper part of the tree, there is a bud in each leaf axil. A cluster of flowers that open in the form of a spike is born from this bud.
The male flowers of the date palm trees with kievcikli are brought over the female flowers and shaken, or the male and female flowering date palm trees are planted close to each other to ensure the fertilization of the female flowers. The fertilized female flowers produce oval, yellow-orange or dark red-brown fruits, 6 cm long, towards autumn.
It is a very sweet, fleshy and nutritious fruit with a single seed in the middle surrounded by a membranous shell. It is eaten fresh or dried and is also used in pastry making. It is made into candy and wine. Some varieties are less sweet. These are dried and ground to make flour.
NUTRITIONAL VALUES
The nutritional values of 100 g. naturally dried date fruit are as follows: 274 calories: 2.2 g. protein; 72.9 g. carbohydrates: 0 cholesterol; 0.5 g. fat; 2.3 g. fiber; 63 mg. phosphorus; 59 mg. calcium; 3 mg. iron: 1 mg. sodium; 648 mg. potassium: 58 mg. magnesium; 50 IU vitamin A; 0.09 mg. vitamin B1; 0.1 mg. vitamin B2; 2.2 mg. vitamin B3: 0.153 mg. vitamin B6 and 24.9 mcgr. folic acid.
BENEFITS TO OUR HEALTH
As can be seen from the values above and as is frequently repeated, it is a very nutritious fruit. In addition;
It is good for those suffering from constipation due to the high amount of fiber it contains.
