Pitted Sayer Date: What is Iranian Sayer Dates?

Date, the epitome of sun-stricken civilizations, kingdoms thrived and destroyed, and thousands of years of cultural astonishments all tucked into a tough-exterior yet unbelievably sweet and healthy inner stratum. They indeed were what separated the olden eastern flocks from their western counterparts; the cultivation of thrashing rays, blood and sweat, and dessert endurance. And, unquestionably, when talking about perseverance on the outside and sweetness on the inside, no other type casts a shadow on the famous Iranian pitted Sayer dates – or Stamaran as many know them by.

Sayer Dates Mark in The Dessert Civilizations

Before we dive into the exact time of Sayer date’s surge in the Mesopotamian regions alongside the northern African areas, it’s necessary to wrap our heads around the million-year magnificent journey of this hard fruit. Some carbon-dating experiments on fossils and ancient civilizations show that date has been around way before humans accumulated the knowledge and the tools to grow stuff in the middle of arid lands. The carbon-dating system has proved that some 80 million years ago, date palms fruited in the wild and hostile semi-dry conditions, where men were oblivion, scared, or under-developed to reach them and domesticate these immensely-valuable trees.

In terms of Iranian Sayer Dates, or Stamaran, the timeline falls incredibly short of the general history, with most records pointing out the first mentions of the beloved fruit some five thousand years ago when the progressive agricultural leap across the old-Persia map happened. It was around these eons that the archaic cultures first began to notice the immense importance of domesticating palm trees and bringing them into their realms as oddly stiff yet highly nutritious wild fruits.

The domestication and local production of the Sayer dates in Iran continued to grow, with some distinguished picks along the road. The Achaemenid empire, as one example, exhibited great interest and passion for these brown delights, and while they might not realistically categorize the Sayer dates, but it didn’t stop them from cultivating and exploding in date production.

The foray of Sayer dates, or Stamaran, and others in their family tree into the man’s reality encapsulated a handful of dominant civilizations alongside their core beliefs. From the golden Persian empires to the mysterious Egyptian towers, any land with enough sun and dry heated climate began to produce dates, and in some way, found a place for it in their cultural constructs. The Egyptians believed the dates were sacred and praised them to the highest regard, while the Persians mainly evaluated them as an invaluable commodity on which thousands depend to live. After Islam’s surface, date fruit’s importance skyrocketed, probably even as the main intake for the Arab army as it was rampaging through the region and Europe.

Being such an intricate part of a continental quest and dozens of civilizations involved in it, pumped the name “dates” has been mentioned in the Holy Quran, The Bible, and The Torah.

The palm tree’s shape left a trace in history books with fascinating cultures such as the Greeks, and yet again, the Egyptians utilized the outline in a symbolic matter. For the Egyptians, dates (and probably Sayer dates somewhere in there) were viewed as fertility symbols, being strong enough in the texture to grow in desert oases. The palms’ feather-like imprint has time and time been documented in ancient coins and inscriptions gathered from the nearby regions.

For the Geeks, on the other side, date palms had a more life-without-death vibe to it; an immortal phoenix. It’s been said in the mythical anecdotes that the phoenix, after its 500 years lifespan, will catch fire on top of a date palm tree (hopefully a Sayer date palm tree) and be reborn from the ashes fallen at the feet of the tree. Some even expand and believe that the palm tree would be set ablaze and reincarnated with the phoenix.

Sayer/Stamaran Date Specifications

Although fundamentally different from other dates, the Stamaran date (sayer dates) surely doesn’t fall behind taste and sweetness. It’s wonderfully delicious and explodes at the first bite, sending jets of tasty ingredients into the mouth, posing you to get just bite down on one more.

The superb Sayer/Stamaran date is packed with various salubrious compounds, lots of nutrients, and cellulose stacks beyond belief. The date crust only contains 18% humidity; therefore, it is considered a Semi-Dry Date type. This helps preserve this precious fruit in outdoor conditions, which, in turn, kicks up the Iranian Sayer date’s value as nutrition that doesn’t die on the spot when it’s not cared for.

The dates come in a traditional dark-browned hue with some slightly lighter yellow veins across the body or poles due to a sugar swarm. The sugar levels surpass passing 75% threshold, making it one of the most sweetened dates. The natural and healthy sugar stocked in Sayer dates has turned the sugary fruit into a potent finger-sized energy bar that quenches the human body’s thirst. With that being said, we do not promote taking too much of these bad boys in one sitting since excess is never an option.

The enormous antioxidants reserves found in the dates are natural gifts in the fight against cancer. The fatty Magnesium levels help patients with any digestive uneasiness, and the natural Iron reserves in the meat can entirely make-up for any kind of iron deficiency.

Different Shapes for Different uses; Pitted, Un-pitted, Sliced, and Blocks

The western markets make up a vast chunk of where Iranian Sayer dates are shipped off to, growing and growing by the year. With so many new niche and increasingly-demanding markets on the brink of new trade routes, it was a matter of time before producers, especially ones like Noshid, would face challenging and mission-changing weathers.

Un-pitted Sayer/Stamaran Dates:

Not much can be said about un-pitted Sayer dates except that they are meant for everyday use and domestic consumption. They are also widely popular globally in a household who cherish a bow filled with these beautiful bearings of the drylands. Compared to other types of Sayer dates, the un-pitted ones go through the minimal procedure because their appearance and taste don’t have to undergo significant transformations, and they are the standard go-to exported forms packed and ready to be sent out as stand-alone products or white-label ones.

Noshid’s un-pitted Sayer/Stamaran date is being traded under two different categories in the global market:

1. Select

With 70 to 75 dates in a one-kilogram bag, the “Un-pitted Select” class falls under the category of large-sized Sayer/Stamaran dates.

2. GAQ

This is a fairly smaller-sized class where 90 to 100 dates are packed in a one-kilogram packaging bag/box.

Pitted Sayer/Stamaran Dates:

Nobody wants a rocky seed to destroy their teeth while enjoying a perfect Sayer date, which doesn’t exclude Iran’s domestic market. Pitted Sayer/Stamaran dates are easy to bite, chew, and digest without having to spend some time picking out the seed or getting the hands all sticky and oily for having to open one. These easy-to-eat, reasonably lighter fruits are the choice for those who want an easy snack and don’t want to get down and dirty.

Noshid has four categories of Iranian Sayer/Stamaran date:

1. Super Select

Befitting its title, the very best of the Sayer/Stamaran pitted stashes don’t only cost an arm and a leg but can also be mistaken for small pieces of rock; in a one-kilogram package, you can find only around 65 to 70 dates.

2. Select

Only one step behind the Super Select class, the “Select” Sayer dates come in smaller shapes with 80 to 85 fruits per kilo.

3. GAQ

The most economical and popular ones, the GAQ class ravages the market both in quality and quantity – having 110 to 115 dates in a one-kilogram bag. However, collecting the dates at the beginning of the harvest season has proven to be somehow troublesome.

4. FAQ

Sliced/Chipped Sayer Dates:

For the longest time, the traditional use for Sayer dates was limited to everyday use, or for those with brighter minds in cooking, preparing specially-designed dishes and fancy platters. However, that has undergone severe remodeling in the past decade, so and we see more and more chefs discovering the wonders that dates (any type alongside Sayer dates) dish out to hot or cold food. People, especially westerners, love to mix dates with different dishes varied in other daily meals. Today, a mixed porridge doesn’t seem that diverse without some chopped dates tossed into the bowl, or even a salad or some multi-stored breakfast waffles tend to benefit from some sliced Sayer dates scattered all over them. The possibilities are endless, and that’s why you shouldn’t take these cubed-shaped for granted: Banana-date smoothies, Oatmeal with Dates and Complimentary Figs, Kale and Quinoa Salad with Dates, and even a freaking Vegan Chocolate-Date Smoothie, all of which taste ten times sweeter with Sayer dates.

These trends have penetrated Iranian domestic markets as well, and tons of online recipe guides have surfaced in the past couple of years, describing to the Iranian consumers how they can make better use of the sliced and specially-shaped date bits. Today, many Persians reinvent their daily dishes with Sayer dates for more diversity than traditional dishes. Cooks are now preparing banana-date cakes with frostings, delicious morning French toast with dates, classical lamb-chop stew revolutionized with cooked dates, and even the benevolent date-bread flavored with coconuts and chili that leaves a huge question-mark gap in my brain. Although a mighty number of these dishes are not for everyone, whoever ravishes the Sayer dates sweetness is in for a treat.

Fortunately, Noshid has upped its production in this area and provides customers with sliced/chipped Sayer dates if registered on their orders.

Block Sayer/Stamaran Dates:

With less than 20% close-to-none humidity, as a Nuts and Dry Fruits, it’s easy enough to stock kilos of this wonderful date without the slightest worries. A hidden perk to this, however, lies in its durability and flexibility in molding into a block of mainstreamed sizes. This type of Sayer date is perfect for exportation goals and consumer use since it doesn’t take a lot of space, and it’s pretty much tens of dates pressed into each other in factory-standard plastic bags. This model is best suited for anyone who wants to just slice off a chunk of Sayer dates for their next pudding cooking session. It’s easy to move, serve, export, and use, and, truth be told, it just feels incredible holding one of these dark-browned moderately dark blocks in your hand and experiencing what the harsh nature of Iranian drylands has to sprout out.

How We Handle Packaging

As explained before, the Sayer date is a semi-dry date that can withstand room temperature for over a year – if preserved correctly. Noshid packs its dates in ten-kilogram packaging boxes, eliminating any outside threat and keeping the fruits fresh for as long as possible. However, we never recommend going with +10 kilograms packages since it can damage the content and ruin the quality.

At Noshid, we run through dozens of studies and market research to figure out how to optimize our packaging methods to the market needs, and, luckily, we have gained a hold on what modifications and improvements are required from us. Based on type and delivery preferences, Noshid can offer alternative packaging styles to get the dates safe and soundly to you.

Take-away

Iranian Sayer dates crank up the taste of everything they’re thrown into or mixed with, and their sweetness and the meaty interior have brought much attention to this dried-climatic fruit. Noshid’s Sayer dates are stored from the country’s best annual yields, and they are aware of the ever-shifting market. They are willing to adapt to the new limit-testing that might occur as consumers explore new usages and recipes with dates.