fresh dates

I had just walked into my favorite spice market-plus, kalustyan's on 28th and lex, and noticed a lovely specimen on their front counter. can i eat them like this? do they have a pit? I was quick to ask the woman behind the counter anything and everything I needed to know, for I was destined to bring the branch of lovely fresh dates home with me. she mumbled something about yes, pick them off the branch, yes they have a pit. that's about all i could get from her.

my previous experience with dates has been limited to the dried variety, usually wrapped in bacon or other cured ham, and probably at a spanish tapas joint. i was thrilled at this discovery, since it fits right in with my quest to try foods that are slightly off the beaten path.

that said...how scary is a date?

i found this tuberous-looking branch quite charming. completely non-threatening. so like any naive first-timer i took one from the vine and bit right in...hmmm.

like any fruit or vegetable, it has to be ripe before you can eat it and have it actually taste good. not knowing what a ripe date is supposed to feel like, this was an acceptable error in judgment. but then i recalled my recent experience with the monstera deliciosa and quickly became nervous -- what if this thing is dangerous to eat before it's fully ripe? i quickly searched online but thankfully found nothing to support my fear.

according to wikipedia, dates ripen in four stages, which are known throughout the world by their arabic names: kimri (unripe), khalal (full-size, crunchy), rutab (ripe, soft), tamr (ripe, sun-dried).

the taste of an unripe date is a lightly sweet flavor. you can tell what it will be when it grows up, but it's not quite there yet. the texture at this stage is almost like biting into an unripened peach...that crunchy inner flesh, though here it's surrounded by a slightly waxy skin.

i'll assume a ripe date is slightly more forgiving to the touch. and i think even cooking with a date will be better once a little softer. stay tuned.

Comments

[Dan Estridge]

Did you go ahead and try cooking with them? I just picked some of these up and I was thinking about including them in a tagine tomorrow. Any advice?

[Dan Estridge]

Did you go ahead and try cooking with them? I just picked some of these up and I was thinking about including them in a tagine tomorrow. Any advice?