What are Dates?
Dates is a tropical, edible fruit of palm trees that has a hard seed, thin skin, and sweet taste. Some large clusters of Dates are hanged in branches of palm trees that their height reaches more than 20 meters.
Types of Iranian Dates
Among various types of dates produced all over the world, such as Mazafati, Sayer Dates, Zahedi, Rabbi Dates, Kabkab Dates, and Piarum Dates Dates Persian Dates are among the most popular types, here we take look at different types of dates in Iran.
Astamaran (Sayir)
Astamaran is a semi-dry date with thick skin. Mostly, it is used for export from Iran to other countries, such as Canada, Australia, and Russia. The high amount of sugar and low cellulose content are the main properties of this date.
Zahidi Dates
Iran is one of the most famous producers of Zahidi dates, although this type is very rare in the world. It has a golden to amber color. Thick skin with a good amount of golden flesh inside is some special properties of this date. it’s a great source of carbohydrates hence it is suggested to consume in the morning with milk. it is semidry and not as sweet as other types.
Rabbi Dates
Rabbi with a dark brown color and thin skin, are very well-known and common Dates among all other types due to their exclusive production in Iran. Rabbi is a soft, long, sweet, and durable date in the natural temperature which is produced in Iranshahr, Zabol, Chahbahar, and Saravan.
Mabroom (Piarom)
Piarom is a less sweet date that is very suitable for diabetic people, and also it is the most expensive date in Iran. the nice look of Piarom date has made it a luxury dried fruit among People. It is dark brown with low moisture with thin skin like Rabbi which is cultivated in the Hajiabad area in Hormozgan province.
Mazafati Dates
Mazafati Date is a well-known date of Iran both for the domestic market and foreign markets, it contains high moisture and high sugar. This is one of the most famous and different kinds of Iranian Dates produced in BAM which is fresh, dark, soft, and sweet.
Kabkab Dates
Kabkab dates are mostly wet or semidry. They are dark brown, the production of this product is very high in Iran because of the several usages of this type of date. it is consumed as snacks, due to its high amount of sugar it is used as a material in alcoholic beverage making industries, it is being used for making date syrup and many other applications.
Shahani Dates
Shahani is a long light brown date with a sweet taste. It takes more time for the palm tree to be ripe than other types.
Benefit of Dates
There are many types of dates with different properties. Mazafati as the most popular Persian date is the most delicious and nutritious type. These are the most common dates, rich in antioxidants, fiber, and potassium.
It is interesting to know, the benefits of these small dates are too much. They can help our body to reduce cholesterol, treat constipation, increase the energy level and improve bone health.
Production of Dates
The Date is the second-largest product of Iran’s agriculture, has a historical background with one million tons of production annually in the southern provinces.
Dates are typically grown in 15 provinces of our country. In which two-thirds of Iran’s date is produced in Kerman, Khuzestan, Sistan and Baluchistan, Bushehr and Hormozgan.
Egypt is the first and largest producer of dates in the world. Other famous countries in producing dates are Iran, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Pakistan, Sudan, Oman, Tunisia, Libya, China, Morocco, Kuwait, Yemen, Israel, the United States, Turkey, Qatar, and Mauritania.
Harvesting Date
Harvesting date must be performed in the date season – from August in summer to September in autumn. Accessing the short palm dates has no problem, but most palms are tall and need to be climbed.
As usual, farmers should climb the tree with their bare feet. Climbing palm trees is dangerous work and makes it difficult for farmers to carry tools on top of the tree and use them. To help climbing the tall palm trees, they usually make footsteps in the trunk of the trees to reach the date clusters and fall them off the ground.
Storage of Date
Storage of dates is a major concern after harvesting to prevent them from insect infestation. Traditionally, the date farmers try to store them in locally available containers such as goatskins, clay jars, baskets made of palm leaflets, or oil drums.
Consumption of Date
Dates are the base of many sweets, cookies, wafers, and biscuits with nuts and chocolate. Dates are also used in some countries for cooking.
desert called Halwa. In the U.S and some parts of Europe, an ornament box of dates is a fantastic gift in special ceremonies like Christmas.