On Food and Cooking

Dates Dates are the sweet, easily dried fruits
of a desert palm, Phoenix dactylifera, that can
tolerate some cold and thrives as long as it has
a source of water. Their original home was
Middle Eastern and African oases, where they
were being cultivated with artificial irrigation
and pollination more than 5,000 years ago;
they’re now also grown in Asia and
California. Though we usually see only two or
three dried versions, there are thousands of
different date varieties that differ in size,
shape, color, flavor, and ripening schedule.
Growers and aficionados distinguish four
stages in date development: green and
immature; mature but unripe, when they’re
yellow or red and hard, crunchy, and
astringent; ripe (Arabic rhutab), when they’re
soft, golden brown, and delicate; and finally
dried, when they’re brown and wrinkled and
powerfully sweet. Drying is usually done on
the tree. Dates are moist and succulent when
fresh, from 50 to 90% water, and chewy and