Destiny with Dates

The date palm has been an integral part of UAE history providing staple food and materials for shelters and mats. Its sweet oval fruit is said to have been cultivated in the Arabian Peninsula for more than 4500 years, and the Abu Dabi island of Delma holds the earliest evidence of human consumption of dates here. But as the Emirates has modernized, so has the date evolving into a luxury treat, covered in milk chocolate and stuffed with caramelized pecans, often displayed in glass cases. There are dates stuffed with candied lemon rind or coated in white chocolate and stuffed with pistachio nuts or even used in chocolate truffles.

The dates are presented in gift boxes , akin to high end chocolates or jewellery sometimes with a brown suede finish and a satin bow or in a cherrywood box.
Date trading is something traditional in this region. The growth will come from more products to be made from dates- date bars, date juices, date energy drinks.

The fruit which is grown by 16000 farmers in the UAE as well as across the Middle East, continues to be a key food during Ramadan. Traditionally ,it is the first food eaten by Muslims to break their fast after sun set during the holy month.

Courtesy: The National