Date

Description

HISTORY AND SPREADING

As one of the oldest culture plants and most important oasis‘ tree of South Africa as well as of South West Asia, the date palm most likely originates from the Mediterranean regions around the Persian Gulf. It thrives with sufficient water and at average temperatures of 30 ° C.
It is said that the date palm was already known in India 8.000 years and in Egypt and Babylon 4.000 years ago. Main growing areas are nowadays in Saudi-Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Algeria, Pakistan and Sudan, but also in Israel, California and Tunesia.
The date palm bears fruit from its 5th year and has the maximum yield during the 10th year.

Dates are sold either in bulk or in retail packages of 200 g – 1 kg.
The bulk dates are either packed, pitted or unpitted.  into cartons of 10-23 kg.
The dates in retail packages are always unpitted (with stone).
After the primary processing shortly after picking, the dates are treated quite differently depending on whether they are to be sold in bulk or in retail packages.
After harvesting the dates are cleaned by brushing and spraying with water, conditioned to a homogeneous moisture level, in dry or damp premises.  The dates are then assorted to the required size by a system of rotating cylinders with varying spaces and then they are sorted manually according to color and look.  These dates are now ready for packing into cartons.  In case pitted merchandise is required, the vertically placed dates on looped metal sheets will be heated by steam.. Rows of steal studs then press the stone out of each date.

As a pitted date loses its shape and good look, dates in retail packages are never pitted.  To give the dates a better appearance, they are covered with glucose.  The dates are more shiny, firmer and have a fresher look.  After the quality of the dates became more and more inferior during the last years, the treatment with glucose has to fulfill another function.
Dried dates of inferior quality, e.g.  Tunisian variety Khouat Alligh, lose through movement during the transport the outer skin, resulting in an unappetizing look.  The layer of glucose protects and prevents the outer skin peeling off during transport.
There are two methods for a glucose treatment.  Either the dates are dipped into a solution of glucose or are sprayed with steam containing glucose.  The glucose treatment was developed in Marseille at the end of the last century.  Marseille therefore became the stronghold of date packers.  During the recent years this method was copied more and more by the factories in the producing countries.  Marseille lost its important role.
The retail packages have various shapes and net weights.  The most popular are the 200 g ones, which are called barquettes or raviers.  The barquette is a small box, most of the times with an inspection window, in which the dates are loosely filled.  A ravier is a longish shaped dish, in which the dates are neatly placed by hand, in two rows side by side.  Between the 2 rows is a small fork as decoration, but also for picking up the date for eating.