Fruit
Dates
Also called Medjool dates, dried dates
The fruit of the date palm, usually sold semi-dried or as soft Medjools. They are the toffee in sticky toffee pudding and the sweet counterweight in a lamb tagine. The stone is inedible; the skin can be tannic.
Origin
West Asia and North Africa, where date palms kept kitchens through lean months. Medjool and Deglet Noor are the supermarket lives; cooking does not need the dearest box.
Flavour
Caramel, honey and dried fig, with a faint bitterness in the skin. Drier dates taste like brown sugar; soft Medjools eat like candy.
How it is made
Fruit ripens on the palm, then is sun-dried or packed soft. Date paste is just pitted fruit blitzed — read the tub for oil or glucose.
How to use it
Stone and chop. If they are hard, soak in hot water or tea until a knife goes through, then mash for sticky toffee batter. In a tagine, add them late so they plump rather than dissolve. Orange salad can take a few slivers. A processor pulse makes a binder that is too sweet for a savoury pot unless you meant it.
Storage
Airtight pantry if dry; fridge if squidgy, or they sugar and ferment. A white bloom is often sugar — smell before you bin.
Recipes using it
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