CHAPTER II: ORIGIN, GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION AND NUTRITIONAL
VALUES OF DATE PALM

by A. Zaid and P.F. de Wet
Date Production Support
Programme

1. Origin of date palm

The exact origin of the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is
considered to be lost in Antiquity. However, it is certain that the date palm
was cultivated as early as 4000 B.C. since it was used for the construction of
the temple of the moon god near Ur in Southern Iraq - Mesopotamia (Popenoe,
1913; 1973).

More proof of the great antiquity of the date palm is in Egypt's Nile Valley
where it was used as the symbol for a year in Egyptian hieroglyphics and its
frond as a symbol for a month (Dowson, 1982). However, the culture of date palm
did not become important in Egypt until somewhat later than that of Iraq
(Danthine, 1937), about 3000 - 2000 B.C.

The above is confirmed by history, and corroborated by the archaeological
research into ancient historical remains of the Sumerians, Akadians and
Babylonians (Figure 17a). Houses of these very ancient people were roofed with
palm tree trunks and fronds. The uses of date for medicinal purposes, in
addition to its food value, were also documented.

In conclusion, date palm is probably the most ancient cultivated tree in the
world. It could be safely assumed that the reason for mentioning dates and date
palms in the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic religions was due mainly to the
influence of the Prophet Abraham, who was born and raised in the old city of Ur
where date palms were grown. Ibrahim's love of the date and date palm left a
lasting influence on these religions.

The Jews consider the date as one of the seven holy fruits and they celebrate
Palm Sunday. But no other religion has stressed the holiness of the date and
date palm as much as the Islamic religion. The Holy Koran mentioned date and
date palm in 17 Suras (chapters), of the original 114 Suras and 20 verses of
6,263 verses. Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) is reported to have said that
the best property is date palm, that dates cure many disorders, and he urged
Muslims to eat the date and tend the date palm. "And they came to Elim, where
were twelve wells of water and three score and ten palms, and they encamped
there by the waters". Elim was one of the oases where the Israelites set up camp
during their flight from Egypt across the Sinai to the Promised Land, and the 70
palms mentioned in the book of Exodus, 45:27, were date palms.

During Biblical times, the date palm was common throughout Egypt and the
Levant, including present-day Israel. Phoenicia, the name by which part of the
Levant, particularly the portion including Tyre and Sidon, was known to the
Romans and Greeks, means "land of palms". Some of the ancient coins of Tyre and
Sidon bear the image of the date palm, as does a Jewish coin issued at the time
of Judas Maccabeus, about 175 B.C. To commemorate the conquest of the Jews and
the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus in 70 A.D., the Roman emperor Vespasian
issued a coin showing a weeping woman sitting beneath a palm tree.

Flavius Josephus, a Jewish historian, reported that during his time (First
Century A.D.) there were still groves of date palms near Jericho, around the
lake of Galilee, on the Mount of Olives, and in and around Jerusalem. In
passing, it may be said here that the Hebrew word for the date palm is "tamar".
It became the Jewish symbol of grace and elegance and was often bestowed by them
on women, as for instance, the sister of Absalom, in allusion to their graceful,
upright carriage. Even today, in Israel and other countries "Tamar," "Tamara,"
and "Tamarah" are often used as girls' names.

The legend is, that the date palm (not the apple tree) was the tree of
knowledge of good and evil, and that the date (not the apple) was the fruit Eve
so generously offered to Adam in the Garden of Eden (Figure 17b). If the date
palm was the tree of knowledge, Gabriel would not have suggested to Adam that he
taste and eat the dates.

Where the date palm originated is not known. Although widely cultivated, no
truly wild plant has ever been found. Its progenitor is believed to be
Phoenix reclinata Jacq from tropical Africa, or Phoenix
sylvestris (L). Roxb. from India, or a hybrid between these two. Both
these species have palatable, although inferior fruits.

The spreading of the date palm and its cultivation occurred during the past
centuries following two distinct directions:

- One starting from Mesopatamia to Iran, to reach the Valley of the Indus
and Pakistan;
- The other starting from Egypt towards Libya, the Maghreb
and Sahel countries (Figure 18).

The original establishment of date palm in these countries was initially
localised: Tunisia/Djerid; Algeria/Souf, Oued Rhir, Tidikelt and Saoura;
Morocco/Tafilalet and Draa Valleys; and Mauritania/Adrar.

To the south, it was introduced into Mali/Tassili, Hoggar and Adrar of
Iforas; Niger/Djado-Kaouar; and Chad/Borkou-Tibesti.

The above date propagation in Africa was realised using the same itineraries
as those of the Neolithic civilisation but with some delays. It is illustrated
by the presence of Sudan date plantations around the Neolithic sites.

The establishment of date plantations and oases was made possible because of
the development of irrigation techniques. This establishment in the Sahara was
initiated during the last centuries before our era. The optimum development was
only reached during the Fifth and Sixth centuries with Botros and Zenets when
commercial camel traffic through the Sahara was made possible.

The old world of date palm stretches from east to west (± 8,000 km) and from
north to south (± 2,000 km). According to Dowson (1982), date palm covers 3 % of
the world's cultivated surface.

In the early years of the Nineteenth Century (1912), the date palm was
introduced into the western part of North America (Colorado Desert, Atacama
Desert and other regions).

2. Geographical distribution of date palm

Date palm is found in both the Old World (Near East and North Africa) and the
New World (American continent) where dates are grown commercially in large
quantities (Figure 19). The date belt stretches from the Indus Valley in the
east to the Atlantic Ocean in the west. In order to have a clear picture on the
geographical distribution of date palm, it is worth looking at it from the
following aspects: (i) Distribution according to latitude, (ii) Distribution
according to altitude, and (iii) Number of date palms in the world.

(i) Distribution according to latitude

The distribution according to latitude for both northern and southern
hemispheres is illustrated in Tables 6 and 7. In Asia, 32° north, in the Indus
Valley, is the northern limit of date palm cultivation. It follows the southern
edge of the Perso-Afghan mountain mass, till it reaches the 35° north in Iraq
and turns south west to the Mediterranean sea at the Gulf of Gaza. Date palm
then follows the Mediterranean coast as far as Tunisia and skirts the southern
edge of Morocco to the Atlantic Ocean.

The 17° north parallel is the southern limit of the date palm in the Sahara.
From the 15° north in Sudan, it follows the coast of the Red Sea and the Gulf of
Aden, till it drops to 10° north to cover the northern part of Somalia. This
southern line continues till it reaches the coasts of Arabia and Pakistan till
the limit of Indus.

At about 33° north in the American continent, date palm plantations were
newly introduced in Southern California. Seven degrees (7°) further south, less
important and older introductions are found in the lower California Peninsula of
Mexico. Other few, small and recent

TABLE 6
Latitude limits of date palm cultivation in the Northern
Hemisphere of the Old World

Limits

Country

Region/District

Parallel

Northern

Pakistan

N.W.F. Province - Bannu
Makran - Siahan Mountain Range

33° N
27° N

Iran

Hajabad
Aliabad
Fasa
Baluchistan
Qasr-i-Shirin
Kazarum
Shiraz
Darab

28° 18' N
28°36' N
28°57' N
29°07' N
34°31'
N
29°37' N
29°36' N
28°46' N

Turkmenistan

Kizyl Arvat
Bam

39° N
29°07' N

Iraq

Basra
Fao
Along the Tigris-Samara
Along the Euphrates -
Rawa

30°34' N
34°53' N
34°12' N
34°30' N

Syria

Abukemal
Taza Khurmatu
Kirkuk

34°27' N
35°18' N
35°27' N

Palestine, Israel and Lebanon

Jericho, Jerusalem
Araba desert
Capernaum
South of
Tripoli-Rift Valley

32°
30° to 31°
32°53' N
34°26' N

Cyprus and Turkey

Nicosia
Antalya

36°10' N
36°34' N

Algeria

Touggourt
El-Kantara

33°09' N
35°14' N

Spain

Elche

38°17' N

Egypt

Cairo

30°02' N

Tunisia

Gabes

33°57' N

Morocco

Erfoud

31°26' N

USA

Indio/Ca

33°43' N

Mauritania

Atar
Nema

20°38' N
16°50' N

Southern

India

Turbat
Gujarat

25°59' N
23° N

Pakistan

Sind-Kotri

25°22' N

Arabian Peninsula

Muscat
West of Aden

23°37' N
12°36' N

Somalia

Genale/Mogadishu

1°47' N

Djibouti

Hambali/Djibouti City

11°30' N

Ethiopia

Dirre Dawa

10°15' N

Sudan

Kamlin/Nile

15°02' N

Cameroon

Rei Buba/Garua

8°40' N

Chad

Lettire

13°40' N

Niger

Guidimouni/Zinder
Bilma

13°45' N
18°50' N

Burkina Faso

Dori

14°10' N

Mali

Kolokani
Kidal
Kayes

13°20' N
18°27' N
14°26' N

Senegal

Bakel

14°51' N

To summarise, the extreme limits of date palm distribution are between 10°N
(Somalia) and 39°N (Elche/Spain or Turkmenistan). Favourable areas are located
between 24° and 34°N (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Israel, Egypt, Iraq,
Iran, etc.). In USA, date palm is found between 33° and 35°N. Because of
climatic factors, the date palm will grow, but will not fruit properly outside
the above defined geographical limits.

TABLE 7
Latitude limits of date palm cultivation in the southern
hemisphere

Country

Region/District

Parallel

Tanzania
R.S.A.

Tabora
Henkries Fontein
Kakamas
Klein Pella

5° S
29° S
27° S
27° S

Australia

Coward Springs
Lake Hairy
Petra Bore
Gasgoyne
Hergott
Springs (Now Marree)
Oodanadatta

29°29' S
29°25' S
33°51' S
25°03' S
29°39'
S
27°33' S

Namibia

Naute/Keetmanshoop
Hardap/Mariental
Aussenkehr/Karasburg
Eersbegin/Kunene

26°57' S
24°33' S
28°24' S
20°09'
S

(ii) Distribution according to altitude

Altitude is very important since it imposes the availability of water and the
temperature limits which largely determine the distribution of date palm in the
world. In fact, date palm grows and flourishes from 392 m below sea level to
1,500 m above with an altitude range of 1,892 m. Table 8 summarises this
distribution based on altitude.

(iii) Number of date palms in the world

The world total number of date palms is about 100 million, distributed in 30
countries, and producing between 2.5 and 4 million tons of fruit per
year.(Further details on world date production are to be found in Chapter
III).

However, it is worth mentioning that accurate statistics on the number of
date palms are not always available and not easy to collect. Even when some
numbers are available, it is not clear to which category they belong: are they
adult producing, young palms, total or both,?

If we look at the distribution region by region we find that Asia is in the
first position with 60 million date palms (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, Iran,
Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Yemen, etc.); while Africa is in the
second position with 32.5 million date palms (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mali,
Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Somalia, Sudan, Chad, Tunisia, etc.).

TABLE 8
Date palm distribution in the world with regard to
altitude

Country/Region

Area/District

Altitude

Pakistan

Rawalpindi
Makran
Rukshan

527 m
600 m
900 m

Iran

Kazarum
Shiraz
Fasa
Darab
Baluchistan
Hajabad
Aliabad
Qasr-i-shirin
Bam
and Jahrus

808 m
1,530 m
1,200 m
1,189 m
1,069 m
933
m
1,380 m
< 500 m
1,067 m

Iraq

Most commercial plantations
(Fao)
Kirkuk

< 400 m
< 500 m

Eritrea

South Denkala and Diredawa

1,000 to 1,500 m

Saudi Arabia

Hijaz
Hasa
Teima (Medina)

1,630 m
< 500 m
1,300 m

Oman

Oman
Wadi Hadhramout
Hadhramout valley

500 - 1,000 m
625 m
700 - 800 m

Egypt

North of Egypt
South of Egypt

< 100 m
< 200 m

Libya

Coast
Mizda
Ghat

little above sea level
510 m
760 m

Tunisia

Tibssa
Gafsa
Biskra
Boussaada

900 m
345 m
538 m
87 m

Algeria

El Kantara
Tebessa
Aflou
Oued
Rhir
Touggourt
Djanet
Tin Guellet

538 m
900 m
1,426 m
± sea level
69 m
1,094
m
1,365 m

Morocco

BouDenib
Errachidia
Taourirt

935 m
1,061 m
1,146 m

Chad

Tibesti-Aozou
Bardai
Dazinga and Goubone

880 m
960 m
1,500 m

USA

California - Indio
- Mecca
- Coachella
Valley
Arizona-Phoenix

- 6 m
- 60 m
- 22 m
335 m

Mexico

San Ignacio

900 m

Spain

Elche

± sea level

Palestine/Israel/Jordan

Dead Sea

- 392 m

RSA

Henkries Fontein
Kakamas
Klein Pella

300 to 600 m
600 to 900 m
100 to 200 m

Australia

most of plantations
Queensland district, Coward
Springs, Hergott
Springs and
Oodanatta

< 300 m

< 150 m

Namibia

Naute (Keetmanshoop)
Hardap (Mariental)
Aussenkehr
(Karasburg)
Eersbegin (Kunene)

700 m
1,100 to 1,120 m
130 to 140 m
640
m

Mauritania

Atar
Nema

229 m
266 m

Mali

Kidal
Kayes

479 m
below 200 m

Niger

Bilma

305 m

Mexico and the USA have 600,000 palms followed, by Europe (Spain) with 32,000
and Australia with 30,000. Table 4 illustrates this geographic distribution of
date palm in different countries. Iraq is leading with 22 million palms,
followed by Iran 21 million and Saudi Arabia with 12 million, Algeria 9 million,
Egypt and Libya 7 million each, Pakistan and Morocco 4 million each. The
remaining date growing countries have less than 1 million palms each.

Date growing countries located in the southern area of the Mediterranean Sea
have approximately 35 million palms (35% of world total). Based on 200 palms/ha,
they have a date palm superficies of about 175,000 ha.

Table 9 also illustrates the date palm cultivated area per country and shows
that Iran has the largest superficies with 180,000 ha, followed by Iraq, 125,000
ha. Morocco has 84,500 ha while Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Egypt each have
approximately 45,000 ha. In the remaining date growing countries it varies from
2,500 to 22,000 ha.

Regarding planting density, there is again a controversy about the cultural
system used. Is it a modern plantation with fixed spacing (case of Israel and
Tunisia), or is it the traditional planting system which is similar to a forest
(case of Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, for example). In each case, the planting
density varies tremendously from 50 palms/ha (Morocco and Bahrein), up to 577
palms/ha (Somalia). Between these two extremes, there are Algeria, Libya and
Tunisia with a density value of 200, 254 and 133, respectively.

Table 10 illustrates the increase in the number and percentage of the date
palm culture in four North African countries. Morocco, because of the damage
caused by Bayoud disease and in order to rehabilitate its plantations, is
programming the production by tissue culture techniques and the plantation of
approximately 2.5 million palms by the year 2007. Once implemented it will
ensure an increase of 58.88%. If we look at the annual percentage increase,
Morocco and Egypt are the leaders with 3.93 and 2.63, respectively. Tunisia and
Algeria follow with an annual percentage increase of 1.84 and 1.10,
respectively.

TABLE 9
Superficies and total number of date palms around the
world

Country

Number of palms
(in 1,000)

Part of the world's total (%)

Superficies
(in 1,000 ha)

Density of planting (number of palms/ha)

Iraq

22,300

22.30

125

178

Iran

21,000

21.00

180

116

Saudi Arabia

12,000

12.00

45

148

Algeria

9,000

09.00

45

200

Egypt

7,000

07.00

45

155

Libya

7,000

07.00

27.5

254

Pakistan

4,375

04.37

-

-

Morocco

4,250

04.25

84.5

50

Tunisia

3,000

03.00

22.5

133

Sudan

1,333

01.33

-

-

Mauritania

1,000

01.00

-

-

Oman

1,000

01.00

-

-

Yemen

800

00.80

6.4

125

U.A.E.

359

00.35

3.44

105

Somalia

204

00.20

0.35

577

Bahrein

200

00.20

3.70

50

Israel

200

00.20

1.6

125

Palestine

60

00.06

0.25

200

Kuwait

38

00.03

-

-

Syria

12

00.01

-

-

Other countries

4,929

04.92

-

-

WORLD TOTAL

100,000

100

770

173

Source: Djerbi, 1995; "Options Mediterranéennes", 1996.

TABLE 10
Increase in number and percentage of date palm in
Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia

Country

Years

Increase
(in 1,000 palms)

Total increase
(%)

Annual increase
(%)

Algeria

1970- 1994

1,488

16.53

1.10

Egypt

1990-1994

920

13.14

2.63

Morocco

1992-2007 (*)

2,500

58.88

3.93

Tunisia

1970-1991

1,161

38.70

1.84

(*): Through a national programme to rehabilitate Moroccan date plantations
that have been destroyed by Bayoud disease.

Source: "Options Mediterranéennes", 1996.

Looking at the areas where date palm have been harvested (ha), it is clear
from Table 11 that the area harvested in the world has increased more than
threefold (from 238,522 ha in 1961 to 770,795 ha in 1996) during a period of 35
years yielding an average annual increase of about 8.6 %.

The same table illustrates that during 1996, the top 10 producing countries
with regard to harvested areas are in the following order: Iran (153,000 ha),
Iraq (116,000 ha), Saudi Arabia (95,000 ha), Algeria (87,000 ha), Pakistan
(73,915 ha), Morocco (44,400 ha), United Arab. Emirates (31,005 ha), Tunisia
(29,480 ha), Oman (28,000 ha), and Egypt (26,000 ha). These 10 countries, on
their own, make up approximately 88 % of the world's total harvested area.

The above-mentioned 10 countries had a different increase in harvested area
for the period between 1961 and 1996. The United Arab Emirates is the leader
with an increase of about 62 %, followed by Pakistan with 8.30 %, and Saudi
Arabia with 4.32 %, while the remaining countries had an increase of between 2
to 3 % (Tunisia, 2.95 %, Morocco, 2.47 %, Algeria, 2.29 %; and Oman, 2.15 %).
Egypt, Iran and Iraq had an increase of less than 2 %.

Table 11 also illustrates the evolution of harvested areas in other countries
other than the top ten listed above. As an example, we can cite Israel with an
increase of 2,286 % during the period between 1961 and 1996, with 70 ha and
1,600 ha, respectively.

TABLE 11
Area harvested in date palm growing countries
(hectares) - (from 1961 till 1996)

Country

1961

1968

1975

1982

1989

1996

Algeria

38,000F(*)

59,000F

61,000F

68,000F

78,000

87,000F

Bahrein

1.600F

1,600F

2,300F

1,200F

1,600F

2,200

Cameroon

-

-

-

-

60F

90F

China

1.000F

1,150F

1,150F

1,800F

3,200F

4,800F

Egypt

20,000F

20,000F

20,000F

21,000F

25,000F

26,000F

Gaza Strip

-

600F

650F

200

210F

220F

Iran

78,000F

79,000F

80,000

120,919

120,913

153,000

Iraq

92,000C(*)

92,000C

140,000C

-

119,970F

116,00F

Israel

70F

200F

290F

530

1,050

1,600F

Jordan

150F

70F

92

13

24

230

Kenya

-

-

-

-

345F

345F

Kuwait

-

-

-

-

250F

250F

Libya

-

-

-

-

15,000F

15,000F

Mauritania

4,500F

4,700F

3,500F

3,500F

5,000F

12,000F

Mexico

811

750

527

482

606

500F

Morocco

18,000F

20,000F

23,000F

21,900

20,900

44,400

Niger

-

-

-

-

2,200F

2,200F

Pakistan

8,900

20,200

22,471

30,525

41,795

73,915

Peru

110F

95F

120

141

270

80

Qatar

-

-

-

677

967

1,800F

Saudi Arabia

22,000F

28,000F

53,121

68,583

68,305

95,000F

Somalia

-

-

-

-

2,400F

2,300F

Spain

405

620

751

542

516

500F

Sudan

8,800F

11,700F

14,000F

13,637

15,000F

18,000F

Oman

13,000F

13,000F

14,000F

20,194

25,000F

28,000F

Tunisia

10,000F

17,000F

12,000

18,000

20,000

29,480

Turkey

520F

590

850

950

2,710

3,300F

U.A. Emirates

500F

580F

2,200F

7,146

22,156

31,005

USA

1,700

1,724

1,660

1,660

2,020

2,226

West Bank

-

-

-

30

-

-

Yemen

10,456

10,100F

13,593

12,569

16,479

19,354

World

238,522C

290,679C

327,275C

414,198C

611,946C

770,795C

(*) F stands for FAO estimate and C for calculated
figure.
Source: FAO Trade Stat. 1997.

3. Date nutritional value

Dates are very nutritious, assimilative and energy producing.

With the present uncertainty in the world food supply and the expected
increase in demand, the date palm could be a good source of food of high
nutritional value. In fact, date fruit is rich in nutrients, and due to its
dietetic values it has always been held in high esteem by people. Compared to
other fruits and foods (apricot: 520 calories/kg; banana: 970 calories/kg;
orange: 480 calories/kg; cooked rice: 1,800 calories/kg; wheat bread: 2,295
calories/kg; meat (without fat): 2,245 calories/kg, dates give more than 3,000
calories per kilogram.

Furthermore, the date palm is one of the greatest producers of food per
hectare, and world date production is well over 3 million tons.

The date fruit consists of 70 % carbohydrates (mostly sugars), making it one
of the most nourishing natural foods available to man. The water content is
between 15 to 30 % depending on the variety and on the maturity stage of the
fruit.

In most varieties, the sugar content of a date fruit is almost entirely of
the inverted form (namely glucose and fructose), important for persons who
cannot tolerate sucrose (cf. table 12). The invert sugar in dates is immediately
absorbed by the human body without being subjected to the digestion that
ordinary sugar undergoes. The flesh of dates contains 60 to 65 % sugar, about
2.5 % fibre, 2 % protein and less than 2 % each of fat, minerals, and pectin
substances. Date fruits are also a good source of iron, potassium and calcium,
with a very low sodium and fat content. In addition, moderate quantities of
chlorine, phosphorous, copper, magnesium, silicon and sulphur are also found in
the date fruit (cf. table 13).

TABLE 12
Sugar contents, in percentages, of 51 date varieties
grown in the USA (Cook and Furr, 1953)

Constituent

Type of date
Number of varieties
analysed

Percentage dry weight

Soft

Semidry

Dry

34

9

8

Total Sugars

Average

78

77

77

Maximum

85

82

82

Minimum

67

71

73

Reducing Sugars

Average

78

60

41

Maximum

85

81

76

Minimum

61

45

17

Sucrose

Average

1

17

36

Maximum

20

38

59

Minimum

0

0.1

1

TABLE 13
Mineral constituents of the ash of date fruits

Element

Percentage of the ash (*)

Potassium

50

Chlorine

15

Phosphorus

8

Calcium

5

Iron

0.25

Magnesium

12

Sulphur

10

(*) The ash of dates amounts to about 2 % of cured dates (wet weight).

Date fruit is called a mine in itself because it is very rich in minerals.
Its phosphorous content is similar to that found in the same quantity of
apricots, pears and grapes put together.

Its high content of magnesium (±600 mg/1kg of dates) could also be very
beneficial. Date consumers in Saharan areas are known to have the lowest rate of
cancer diseases, a fact attributed to the magnesium found in dates.

With only 1 mg of sodium per 100 g, dates are good food for those on a low
sodium diet. The iron content of 3 mg per 100g is almost a third of the
Recommended Dietary Allowance for an adult male. Note that fibre, even though it
is not a nutrient for humans, is of much value in a diet as an aid to digestion
and evacuation. There is ample evidence that for most persons a diet fairly high
in fibre is healthier than one low in fibre.

Furthermore, dates are a good source of vitamins A, B1 (thiamine), B2
(riboflavin), and B7 (nicotinic acid also called niacin). The following contents
per kilogram are an average for all date varieties: vitamin A, 484 international
units; B1, 0.77 milligram (mg); B2, 0.84 mg; and B7, 18.9 mg.

Protein is also of particular interest; it is variety dependent and also
varies according to the stage of maturity. An average of 1.7 % of protein of the
wet weight of the flesh is roughly obtained.

According to Genske and Weers, (1973), one kilogram of the flesh of ripe
Deglet Noor dates contains the following: water (220g), sugar (730g; 2740
calories), proteins (22g), Fats (2g) and minerals (19g,) K 6480mg), P (630mg),
Ca (590mg), Mg (580mg), Fe (30mg) and Na (10mg)), vitamin A (500 units), vitamin
B1 (0.9mg), vitamin B2 (1mg) and vitamin B7 (22mg).

4. Date products

Dates are especially delicious as a fresh fruit. When used in baking they
provide superb taste to the final product. Dates are also used as a component in
food preparations like sweets, snacks, confectionery, baking products,
institutional feeding and health foods.

Listed below is a brief summary of the main date products:

- Home-made delicatessen

* Pastry, bakery, confectionery products, and beverages
* Sandwich
spreads
* Party snacks, salads and appetisers

- Semi-finished date products

* Whole pitted dates
* Macerated chips
* Date paste and date paste
mixtures
* Extruded date pieces and diced dates
* Dehydrated dates,
date flour (dietetic baby foods)
* Breakfast foods (dates with other
dried fruits, cereals, almonds and nuts)

- Ready for use date products

* Sweets and snacks (date nut roll)
* Chocolate-coated and stuffed
dates (with nuts)
* Date jams, date butter or cream
* Date preserves
and cardiments, caramel products
* Date desserts (with juice, ice-cream,
whipped cream, etc.)

- Derived date fruit products

* Date juice and syrup
* Liquid sugar (Saccharin as a low calorie
sweetener for soft drinks), protein yeast and vinegar
* Fermentation
products (wine, alcohol, organic acids, etc.)

In conclusion, dates have many strong points such as nutritional value,
laxative power, exoticism, originality and a source of energy (EMER/GIK,
February 1996). Their energy is in the form of invert sugars except for the
Deglet Noor and Theory varieties in which about half the sugar content is cane
sugar or sucrose.

In addition to the dates' high nutritive value, the date palm could play an
important role in the ecology of various desert and semi-desert environments.
Date palm, which is an irreplaceable tree in irrigable desert lands, provides
protection to under-crops from the harshness of the climate (heat, wind and even
cold weather), reduces damage caused by sand storms and wind erosion.
Furthermore, with the micro climate created by date palm plantations, the
cultivation of some fruit palms and annual crops will be possible.

Figure 17. Sumerian grafting:

A - Sacred date palm in Sumerian and Babylonian era. (Soussa,
1969)

B - Adam and Eve with a date palm between them (Soussa,
1969)

Figure 18. Place of origin and distribution of date fruit in
the world.

Figure 19. Geographical distribution of date palm in the
world