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| Hadhramaut Dates |
Except on
the Highlands, all of Hadhramout is now very hot. Along the coast, it is hot and humid. Inland, in
Wadi Hadhramaut, the many valleys and in the vast expanses of deserts, it is stiflingly hot and very dry. It is during this extreme heat in the middle of each year that dates ripen. Date palms are mainly found in
Hadhramout - in Wadi Hadhramout and in
Wadi Do'an. Along the coast, there are very few places with date palms. One of the most ancient of foods and cultivated for thousands of centuries, dates are still very much a part of the Hadhrami food and culture.
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| Hadhramout Date Palm and Fruits |
The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is originally from the Arabian Peninsular. It is mainly cultivated and produced around the Middle East; it is also produced in many parts of the world. Unripened dates, vary in color from brown to yellow to red.
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| Hadhramaut Date Palm and Fruits |
The date palm is dioecious, that is - it has separate male and female plants. It produces an edible fruit with each containing 20 to 70 calories. Though it can be grown from seedlings, it is best to use cuttings which grow faster and produce better and more fruits.
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| Hadhramaut Date Palm and Fruits |
Dates can be naturally pollinated, but in Hadhramout, like in many parts of the world, cultivated dates are manually pollinated. Date palms can take 3 to 7 years to mature and produce fruits.
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| Hadhramout Date Palm and Fruits |
Mentioned several times in the Noble Qur'an and is one of the blessings of Jan'nah, dates are an ideal, fat-free, food - packed and loaded with fiber (with a a quarter cup containing 12 percent of the fiber needed each day) and many minerals and vitamins, such as: small amounts of vitamin C, vitamin B-1 (thiamine), vitamin B-2 (riboflavin), niacin and vitamin A. They also contain: potassium, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous and zinc. Dates also have elemental fluorine that helps protect teeth from decay; and have three main antioxidants which are beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin. They are also high in antioxidant polyphenol. Tannins in dates, protect against inflammation and infection. No wonder people in Hadhramout have depended on it for ages and from time immemorial.
+ The Wonder of Dates As Decribed In The Noble Qur'an
+ A History Of Dates
+ Dates: Natural Weight-Loss Food
