After fasting from sunrise to sunset, the sticky saccharine flavour of a date is truly heavenly. Besides being an instant energiser, the fact that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) chose to break his fast with this fruit has made it de rigueur during Ramadan.
Dates were first consumed in the region more than 5,000 years ago. Often called the fruit of paradise, they contain natural sugar, carbohydrates, protein and nutrients such as vitamin B, iron, calcium, copper, magnesium, manganese, selenium, potassium and zinc.
They also have high fibre content — one date contains 0.7 grams of fibre, which is 3 per cent of the daily recommended intake.
They are a high calorie food, with one large date clocking up to 23 calories, but these are the nutritious kind. Dates contain no saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, sodium or salt, making them a healthy choice.
The 10th Liwa Date Festival celebrates the region’s cultural and historic ties with the fruit. Organised by the Cultural Programs and Heritage Festivals Committee — Abu Dhabi, the event will be hosted in Liwa from July 12-18. It showcases all things date — from encouraging farmers to raise the quality of their produce to reinforcing the culture of the palm tree.
Obaid Khalfan Al Mazrouei, Festival Director, considers the event the leading festival of its kind. Held across 20,000 square metres, the event saw the total value of prizes in the Al Ratab Mazayna competition reach Dh5 million last year.
There are more than 500 varieties of dates. Popular breeds include khalas, medjool, sukkari, khodri and fard, but the king of dates is the ajwa, which is cultivated in Medina, Saudi Arabia.
From jams and jellies to desserts, dates are a part of menus across the country. Caffè Nero, for instance, whips up a date frappe creme, while Comptoir 102 does a date smoothie with bananas, almonds and cinnamon. Don Alfonso 1890 offers a dessert with camel milk, phyllo pastry and spicy ice cream using dates.
Then there’s Café Bateel, which has a warm date pudding on offer, served with a butterscotch reduction, yoghurt ice cream and caramelised pecan. And for Ramadan, Humming-bird Bakery at Citywalk is doing a sticky date cupcake.
Of course, there is no dearth of date hampers and gift boxes at stores, but head to Sauce and Candelite for something special.
