Cookbook:Date

Dates are the very sweet fruit of the date palm.

Characteristics
Dates are oblong, with a thin papery skin and a single central seed. The color can range from deep golden to dark brown, depending on the variety. They have a high sugar content, making them sticky and sweet.

Ripeness
Dates begin as small, green, inedible fruit. At the khalal stage, the fruits are starting to change color but are largely inedible, though some individuals may like to eat them cooked. Rutab marks the first fully edible stage, with juicy fruit, though they are still delicate and perishable here. When left to fully mature on the tree, the dates dry out to become dark-colored and stable, with a high sugar concentration.

Varieties
In terms of cultivated varieties, dates come in three main types. Soft dates have a high moisture content and are the kind typically grown for eating at the wet/rutab stage, with a relatively low sugar level. Semi-dry dates have less moisture, though they are still flexible to the tooth. Dry/hard dates are very stiff and very sweet, and may even be turned into a flour.

Selection and storage
When choosing dates, they should look appropriately plump according to the stage of development and the variety. Fresh immature dates are perishable and must be kept in the fridge. Fully mature dried dates generally have a long shelf life at room temperature. If exposed to air for too long, they may dry out. If you can, choose whole dates, and pit/process them yourself instead of getting pre-chopped dates.

Use
Dates are popular to eat simply as is or as part of a larger dish. They may be stuffed and served as hors d'oeuvres or petits fours, and they can also be cut into pieces for use in baked goods. They can also be processed into a paste, syrup, or "sugar", which is really just ground dried date.

When cutting dates, you'll want to oil or flour your knife to reduce excess sticking. Avoid mincing unless you want to get a paste.

Substitution
If you simply want to use dates as the dried fruit component of a larger whole (e.g. muffins), you can easily substitute with another high-sugar dried fruit.