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Ready for dates?
Dates For iron content
Dates have long been an important food in desert regions, and are the source of syrup, alcohol, vinegar, and strong liquor.
Medicinal benefits
Dates have high tannin content and are used as a detersive and astringent in intestinal troubles. As an infusion, decoction, syrup or paste, it is administered for sore throat, colds, bronchial catarrh, and taken to relieve fever and other complaints. A 100 gram portion of fresh dates is a premium source of vitamin C and supplies 230 kcal of energy.
Since dates contain relatively little water, they do not become much more concentrated upon drying, although the vitamin C disappears in the process.
Nutritional value
In most varieties, the sugar content is almost entirely of the inverted form (namely glucose and fructose), important for persons who cannot tolerate sucrose. The human body immediately absorbs the invert sugar in dates without being subjected to the digestion that ordinary sugar undergoes.
The flesh of dates contains 60 to 65 per cent sugar, about 2.5 per cent fibre, 2 per cent protein and less than 2 per cent each of fat, minerals, and pectin substances.
Dates are also a good source of iron, potassium and calcium, with very low sodium and fat content. In addition, moderate quantities of chlorine, phosphorous, copper, magnesium, silicon and sulphur are also found in the fruit.
Culinary uses
Dry or soft dates are eaten directly, or may be seeded and stuffed with fillings such as almonds, candied orange and lemon peel, and marzipan.
Dates can also be chopped and used in a range of sweet and savoury dishes, from Morocco tajines (tagines) to puddings, bread, cakes and other desserts. Dates are processed into cubes, paste, spread, date syrup or “honey” called “dibs”, powder (date sugar), vinegar or alcohol.
Recent innovations include chocolate-covered dates and products such as sparkling date juice, used in some Islamic countries as a non-alcoholic version of champagne, for special occasions and religious times such as Ramadan.
Dates can be dehydrated, ground and mixed with grain to form a nutritious stock feed. Young date leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable, as is the terminal bud or heart, though its removal kills the palm.
Now, a recipe.
Date Nutty Muffins
Ingredients
Flour: 2 cups
Salt: half tsp
Baking powder: 2 tsp
Nutmeg: 1 tsp
Chopped dates: half cup
Chopped walnuts: half cup
Egg: 1, beaten
Cold milk: 1 cup
Oil: one-and-a-half tbsp
Cinnamon powder: 1 tsp
Method: Toss flour, salt, cinnamon and baking powder with a fork to mix the ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat egg, and add milk and oil. Add the grated nutmeg and the tossed flour and mix well. Add chopped dates and walnuts to the flour and mix it with beaten egg and milk.
After the ingredients are mixed well, keep the mixture aside. Grease a muffin tin with fat, and dust it with flour. Fill two-thirds of the tin. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 400 degree F.
RISHI MANUCHA
Junior Sous Chef,
Taj Connemara
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