Knowledge: Kurma / Dates (Phoenix Dactylifera L.)

Kurma, Phoenix dactylifera L., commonly known as the date palm is an important plant in the scorched regions of Southwest Asia and North Africa. The fruits which are the most commonly used part are an important source of nutrition, especially in the arid regions where due to the extreme conditions, very few plants can grow. Date fruits are a good source of low cost food and are an integral part of Arabian diet. For Muslims all over the world dates are of religious importance and are mentioned in many places in the Quran. They are customarily used to break the day long fast during the holy month of Ramadan. Currently they are cultivated in the Middle East, North Africa, parts of Central and South America, Southern Europe, India and Pakistan.

Dates fruit contains about 70% carbohydrates in the form of sucrose and fructose. 100gm flesh can provide approx 314 kcal of energy. Dates are a good source of fibre in particular insoluble fibre approximating 11.5 g/100 g at complete maturation. Drying of date decreases the water activity and this increases the sugar concentration. Because of this the shelf life of dry dates are high and are available for extended periods of time. The fruit is also rich in minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium and zinc. This date fruit contain proportionally high levels of essential amino acids including arginine and histadine which are vital to human health. Traditionally dates had been used as general body strengthener, tonic, aphrodisiac and fertility enhancer.