Dates are a big deal here. If you are like me, the kind of dates you are familiar with involve dinner and a movie. I don't think I had ever eaten a date, which my coworkers found quite strange. So in an effort to make me culturally acceptable, Deema (my coworker) brought in some dates from a tree in her yard. And of course, they had to be on a silver platter (and set on top of the confidential paper shredder bin for a special presentation effect).
Dates kind of remind me of quince, though I had never eaten quince until I moved to Spain (where we ate it almost every day) and I haven't eaten it since I returned, so I imagine that will not help anyone understand the taste/texture. They are really sweet and have an almost grainy texture, and there is a big seed in the middle that panicked me for a minute. I was not sure of the polite way to remove it from my mouth, and was glad to see my coworker just use her fingers to take it out and set it on the table. Dates are an important part of religious tradition in the Middle East. Muslims believe that Mary gave birth to Jesus all alone. I don't know if they believe in Joseph, or where they think he was at the time, but their story says that Mary was very afraid and weak (she was in the desert and hadn't had anything to eat or drink) and was clutching a palm tree and asking God to help her. They believe that God made some dates fall from the palm tree, and she ate one, and then gave birth to Jesus. They also believe that Jesus came out of the womb talking, with a fully formed intellect, but that's a different story. Women here still eat a date before they go into labor, as it is said to give you strength and stamina for the ordeal.
The palm trees here are very short, and not like the Hawaiian palms we are used to seeing. The one in this picture is one of the tallest ones I have seen, and you can see the dates hanging in bunches (almost like grapes) above me. Besides childbirth, the date is also very important during Ramadan, and is eaten at the beginning of the iftar meal. Muslims believe that after fasting all day, it is best to start with a date, which will help your strength return quickly. There are lots of fancy date shops in the malls here around Ramadan (think temporary kiosks selling Pepperidge Farms gift baskets or Honey Baked hams around Christmas) , and Saudi dates are famous for being especially delicious. You can buy plain dates, dates dipped in chocolate, carmelized dates, and dates that appear to me to be rotten, but I assume are probably just covered in some special spice or cooked in a traditional way. I like dates, but they are not going to be making it to the top 10 list of my favorite fruits anytime soon.
Dates kind of remind me of quince, though I had never eaten quince until I moved to Spain (where we ate it almost every day) and I haven't eaten it since I returned, so I imagine that will not help anyone understand the taste/texture. They are really sweet and have an almost grainy texture, and there is a big seed in the middle that panicked me for a minute. I was not sure of the polite way to remove it from my mouth, and was glad to see my coworker just use her fingers to take it out and set it on the table. Dates are an important part of religious tradition in the Middle East. Muslims believe that Mary gave birth to Jesus all alone. I don't know if they believe in Joseph, or where they think he was at the time, but their story says that Mary was very afraid and weak (she was in the desert and hadn't had anything to eat or drink) and was clutching a palm tree and asking God to help her. They believe that God made some dates fall from the palm tree, and she ate one, and then gave birth to Jesus. They also believe that Jesus came out of the womb talking, with a fully formed intellect, but that's a different story. Women here still eat a date before they go into labor, as it is said to give you strength and stamina for the ordeal.
The palm trees here are very short, and not like the Hawaiian palms we are used to seeing. The one in this picture is one of the tallest ones I have seen, and you can see the dates hanging in bunches (almost like grapes) above me. Besides childbirth, the date is also very important during Ramadan, and is eaten at the beginning of the iftar meal. Muslims believe that after fasting all day, it is best to start with a date, which will help your strength return quickly. There are lots of fancy date shops in the malls here around Ramadan (think temporary kiosks selling Pepperidge Farms gift baskets or Honey Baked hams around Christmas) , and Saudi dates are famous for being especially delicious. You can buy plain dates, dates dipped in chocolate, carmelized dates, and dates that appear to me to be rotten, but I assume are probably just covered in some special spice or cooked in a traditional way. I like dates, but they are not going to be making it to the top 10 list of my favorite fruits anytime soon. 
1 comment:
i read your title and your first line before i saw the picture. you had me cracking up. i think i've had a date once--it was just okay. however, i have heard they do good things for you. it sounds like bahrainis have too.
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