I am into Dates....Big Way!......Believe it or Not!
Before coming to the Middle East, the only kind that I knew was the dried, sweet & sticky variety and I was never particularly fond of it. Too sweet for my taste buds!
After coming here, the variety of dates that I have seen.... are unbelievable! Dates have been an important part of tradition within all major religions of the world. It may be considered an almost ideal food for they say it contains a wide variety of nutrients. During Ramadan, traditionally, Muslims usually break their fast by first having a Date.
Dates I'm told undergo 4 stages. In Arabic they are:-
1. Kimri which is the unripe stage.
2. Khalal which is now grown to full size and are crunchy when eaten.
3. In Rutab stage it is fully ripe and soft.
4. Tamr is the last stage which it undergoes when it is riped & sun dried.
Personally, I love my Dates when they are in the second stage - the Khalal stage. They are nice & crunchy and not at all sweet. It has its own taste. I can eat a whole bowl (Big one!) of it while I watch TV or read my book! Unfortunately, I can only enjoy these only during the season...which is for a short period.
Having exposed to the varieties available in the market here, I have started liking the riped and dried Dates too.....Not so much the Plain ones.........but the ones stuffed with almonds, cashews, pistachio, etc. ...as they reduce the sweetness! Actually, I am really nutty for nuts! There are also the chocolate covered dates and these are absolutely delectable!
Everyone says, Dates are a perfect choice for an energy boosting snack.......so, Give Me A Date!
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2 comments:
...and here i thought this post was going to be a "dish" about your social life!!! (heehee...silly me!)
ok ...Dates .hmmm..and this also made me think what's the correlation between this date and the date...i thought u are talking about and just jumped to read it..What a disappointment..... ;-)..
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