Dates (Khajur)

What is Dates (Khajur)?
Dates are edible sweet fruit of flowering plant spices known as Date palms. The date palm tree can grow upto 70-75 feet (21-23 meter) in height. The date fruits name is derived from Greek word for “finger”: ‘dáktulos’ because of the fruits elongated shape.

Dates are cylindrical-oval red to bright yellow in color 3-7 cm long and 2-3 cm in diameter. Three main cultivar groups of dates exist: soft, semi-dry and dry. Egypt and Iran are the major Dates producing countries.

Also Known As
Dates is also known as khajur (खजूर) in Hindi.

History of Dates
Origin of Dates is unknown due to its long history of cultivation. However it is estimated that Dates originated first near land around Iraq. Dates have been staple food of Middle east and Indus valley civilizations for thousands of years. There is archaeological evidence of date cultivation in eastern Arabia in 6000 BCE.

Recipes using Dates
Below are few recipes where Dates or Khajur is one of the main ingreident.