We all love them: different types of dates for different times of the year in different parts of the world for different tastes and cultures.
That being said, there are so many, oblivious to the beauty of variety in Iranian Dates.
It’s easy to put dates into one category; they all have the same qualities after all: small finger-long hard-crusted stone fruits with meaty insides and greasy juice.
But, dates can not – and should not – be taken for granted, as each type is unique in properties, in the freshness of its taste, and in the quality. Furthermore, they’re all not harvested in the same region because they need different environments to thrive.
We have dates in unimaginably shiny gold, charming crimson, pitch-black, yellowish, soul-devouring dark-gray, and even blood-boiling scarlet hue, all seeded and shacked down after-ripening — and even before in some cases.
When a palm tree’s content is cut down, it comes down to the supplier’s decision, which is an immediate offspring of the buyer’s taste which roots back to their geolocation circumstances, inhabitance climate system, cultural values, and belief system.
In Noshid, all of those are taken into account and answered back with an impressive all-pleasing list of the best Iranian Dates the land has to offer.
And, in the spirits of putting our money where our mouth is, here’s a rundown of different types of healthy and delicious Persian Dates present in our storage.
Semi-dried Dates
It’s not clear what to exactly expect of this type of date since they’re not here nor there. However, one thing stands out, and that’s the real treasure that awaits those who don’t hesitantly pass judgment.
To reach the high-quality, mind-refreshing meat hidden beneath the stark surface of these types, you have to possess a particular liking for them, as they’re not for everyone.
Shrinking down and vaporizing water contents of the semi-dried dates make them richer in calories and poorer in cholesterol and moisture; that’s why not all cherish them.
A semi-dried date – a kimia date – packs two times the calories as a “fresh” juicy date. They also have 20% less humidity and are less sticky to pick up.
The loss-of-water, energy-density, and wide variety of semi-dried black blessings sway food-lovers to put them as one of the parody foods.
Mazafati Dates
If you’re crazy about dates, then Mazafati Dates have probably been in your book for a while. These little miracles show some of the highest moisture rates among the rest of the semi-dried “Phoenix Dactylifera,” primarily found in the middle-east region and known by other names such as Rutab and Date Bam.
Bam Mazafati Dates come in a dark-black color, which sometimes hints a bit towards dark-brown. They are between 2.5 to 4 cm long, tough on the outside, but tinder and fleshy on the inside.
Mazafati Dates have great value among Muslims since a bowl of them, especially in the holy month of Ramadan, is something no one dares to forget.
The radius of Mazafati Dates’ advantages expands from skin-healing properties to curing blood iron deficiency in pregnant women and mothers-to-be. The tiny stone fruit provides a massive amount of iron, natural sugar, fiber, antioxidants, potassium, and various vitamins, which, besides those mentioned above, boost the immune system and the organs.
Sayer Dates
The Iranian specialty, also recognized by the name Esta’maran Dates, is an unforgivable souvenir from the heart of the bountiful Southlands of Persia.
Sayer Dates make up around 65% of the dates consumed in the country and a considerable chunk of its outgoing exports.
If you go for a walk in the Shadegan valley, the capital of Khuzestan province, you will notice that even a water shortage can’t harm the savory reputation of the Sayer Dates of the area.
Sayer Dates are low in moisture (only 17% or less) and are convincingly painless to keep them in tropical storages without freezing or cooling. Of course, the same can’t be so stated about their harvesting routine since farmers can use some cooling while shacking the stashes down in the scorching temperature.
That being said, the final outcome is nothing but extraordinarily and benevolently sweet and amazing to separately gnaw at or mix in other foods.
The oval and sometimes rectangular fruit is scattered across the province, dedicating 70% of the palm trees to its name. Esta’maran Dates are in the yellow hue post-ripening but hit full-growth with mostly amber or reddish features.
Sayer Dates are unique in taste, organically grown and harvested, and are more likely to be seen on the shelves of a western-country store than a regular around-the-corner inland supermarket.
Other Semi-dried Dates
As far as the list goes, there are tons of other diet-changing semi-dried dates out there that could be a well-enough addition to the homely uptake, as well as supplementary diets for the healthy and the sick alike.
From the thin Rabi Dates to the yellowish Shahani date ones, to the soft Kali – or Kali/Kalute Dates – each one has some exotic and new taste, a feature that emits harmonically with their appearances.
The rest of the semi-dried Phoenix Dactylifera, the sorts of Medjool Dates, Kabkab Dates, Mordasang Dates, and Barhi Dates sum up the list of the most renowned not-too-dry middle-eastern dates to enjoy.
Dried Dates
The debate over “Dried Dates are better or semi-dried ones” might not get as time-hugging and back-numbing as the natural history of these baron-land fruits. Still, it can definitely go for hours and hours and across multiple pages on the internet.
However, everybody can agree on some details: they are unbelievably sweet, rich in minerals, and can be kept outside for a darn long time.
In the dehydration process – whether it’s sun-drying or machine-drying – these shriveled dates lose all their water content and turn into little rocks. Despite the dehydration, the meaty inside retains its juicy and delicious state and its nutritious value, if not heightened by it, obviously.
Dehydration blesses the dates with more minerals and medical perks since it gets rid of the water. It also makes them more portable and backpack-worthy as they get thinner and shimmer down, making them the spot-on choice for long voyages, abnormal conditions, and unbearable climates and locations.
Same as semi-dried Phoenix Dactylifera, the shrunken ones play a huge role in the practice of Islamic rituals, too, like the holy month of Ramadan or on other special occasions like Eid al-Fitr.
The dried dates distinguish themselves from other dates by a distinct taste and texture, quality, and the cultivating method.
Some of the most famous of this category include Piarom Dates, Zahedi Dates, Lulu Dates, Khasouei Dates, and Khong Dates.
Piarom Dates
We’ll start dry dates introduction by a Hormozgan-based production, a staple of tastefulness and odd looks.
Piarom Dates are long in nature, land somewhere between brownish and black color, and are unusually big. The gratitude and size of these dates don’t mean that they are brute stone-fruits, though; instead, their slim formation makes them unexpectedly thin.
Piarom Dates hold the title of the most expensive and sumptuous dates in Iran, with a substantial portion of the yearly cultivation in the containers destined for the global market.
The mainland for Piarom harvest is a region called Hajiabad right in the heart of the sun-stricken province of Hormozgan since it provides the right conditions and parameters for the palm trees to grow.
Piarom Dates are known as Chocolate Dates since you can chew them in your mouth for a bit and are excellent supplements in the fight against diabetes; an anti-diabetes chocolate dry date if you will.
Because of the dehydration, Piarom Dates don’t contain much water but are stacked in proteins and nutritional values alongside natural sugar.
Zahedi Dates
Another popular date in Iran, produced by Iran, is the Zahedi Dates; some might even go out of line and say they’re domestically the most asked-for.
Zahedi Dates are another dry-date prodigy of southern Iran, mainly cultivated in Khuzestan, Bushehr, and Fars provinces. In Khouzestan province, Ahvaz and Khoramshahr cities, in Bushehr province, Bushehr and Borazjan cities, in the region of Fars, Lar, Farashband, Qayrokarzin, Kazeroon, and Firoozabat are the main cultivations of Zahedi dates.
Zahedi Dates are exported alongside enormous domestic usage as they’re exquisite in taste and unmatched in other qualities.
These oval-shaped (egg-shaped) stone fruits wiggle between the yellowish/brownish spectrum with the final hue dependant on the time of yield, region, and temperatures.
Like any other dry date, Zahedi Dates can withstand harsh environments and climates and have a lifespan of 12 or 18 months outside warehouse conditions.
Other Dry Dates
Other relatable dry dates — Khasouei Dates, Lulu Dates, Khong Dates — are also presents from the south/southwestern regions of Iran where the sunray is plentiful, and water is scarce; the perfect combination to plant seeds, grow palm trees, and bloom some magnificent hard-exterior dry dates.
Dates Products
It’d be cruelty if dates products didn’t roll out for the public and in our piece; after all, with such potent dry/semi-dry fruit, the room for exciting secondary products is infinite.
Due to easiness of use, pitting, and extracting oil from dates, people who don’t love these fruits themselves have the opportunity to enjoy the delicious wonder in different styles, dishes, and mixed with other foods or even fruits.
It’s important to wash and pit dates before any further use since unwanted materials tend to get stuck on the texture. Afterward, they are ready to be cut, squeezed, sliced, mashed, or directly cooked with or without extra additions. From public restaurants to crowded households, they all benefit from all the virtues dates productions bring to the table.
Dates Syrup
Date Syrup, or as some call it, date honey, is a thick caramel-like substance, a terrific organic syrupy replacement for synthetic syrups. Date syrup works like a charm and brings out a new flavor in morning pancakes, after-meal desserts when poured leisurely over vanilla ice cream, or can be like an energy-boosting late-night snack.
Sliced/Chopped Dates
The sweetness and hereditary warmth of dates don’t vanish away when sliced and chopped and cooked; they just evolve and get better!
Inherently, dates lend a tropical sweet-savory flavor to whatever they’re mixed with, and that case is still valid here. Sliced/chopped dates can be fried and stuffed to create delicious date cookies, date oatmeal bars, and date biscuits recipes. And, if you don’t feel like frying the bars, you can casually throw them into a salad or cereal to make a yummy yet powerful breakfast or midday supper.
Sliced dates can also be introduced into less-expecting banana split/smoothie — or should we call them banana-date splits/smoothies now?
Tarts are another sweetened descendants of dessert class that dates can be added to. The crunchiness and mix of ingredients in tarts bode well with sliced/chopped dates, both enriching the view and the taste.
Vegan chocolate-date smoothie is a two-way win, both having chocolate in it and being “allowed” on a vegetarian’s menu. This liquid paradise is both for morning time as an energetic day-starter drink or on the side of a tasty cake at any time.
Dates Oil
As an attempt to not beat too much around evolutions in the cooking cause by dates, we can rotate to date oil, an eons-old supplement that still lives.
Although the concept might sound queer to western people, date seed oil has been around and used daily by middle-easterners and Africans as a hair-strengthener for thousands of years. The seed contains many of the great features of the fruit, which, when squeezed out and properly processed, becomes an organic hair protector with a ton of beneficiary minerals and vitamins solidifying the roots.
Let’s listen to what “NaturallyCurly.com” has to say on this subject as a last benefit of dates:
“Date seed oil is plentiful with fatty acids but has over 50% of its fatty acid content from oleic acid. Oleic acid is one of the reasons curly girls love natural oils so much. Oleic acid is an Omega-9 fatty acid that controls water loss in hair strands and makes them look and feel softer and more pliable. The second most prevalent fatty acid is linoleic acid and this is also another oil we love and for good reason. Linoleic is an Omega-6 fatty acid that our bodies need but cannot create and it stimulates hair growth while helping to maintain a healthy scalp. It also controls water loss so moisture is kept right where it belongs…in the hair strands. Lauric acid is third in abundance in this oil and with its antimicrobial, antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral properties it creates a healthier scalp that is free from irritants like dandruff or other scalp aliments. It also promotes an environment for hair growth because it binds with hair proteins and prevents hair loss.”