Persian dates are also known as the fruit of paradise and this oval-shaped, brown or reddish yellow sweet fruit grows on the date palm trees abundant in Iran. There are over a hundred kinds of dates in Iran, which includes astamaran, shahani, zahedi, kabkab, and rabbi to name a few. Depending on their degree of colour, date fruits can be used differently.
In Iran, dates star in a wide variety of dishes such as in komaj, or a sweet date bread with turmeric and cumin, as well as kolompeh, or pie that is made of dates and cardamom. However, there are those who prefer date nectar or date syrup over the whole fruit because they find it easier to infuse date syrup in their daily diet. Date syrup can come off as a thin or thick concentrated liquid that is made from the juice of the date fruit. Thus, it still has all the properties of the date fruit, including its strong fruity scent, and sweet flavour with hints of caramel and chocolate.
Homemade Date Syrup
If you want to venture out into making your own homemade date syrup, you need to prepare a litre of water for every pound of date. Make sure that you chop up your dates roughly before soaking them in boiling water for about 20 minutes to get rid of all the impurities in the fruit. Discard the soaking water and using a litre of fresh water, simmer your dates for a couple of hours. After which, cool down the dates completely.
Line a sieve with cheesecloth and over a large bowl, squeeze all the water from the cooked dates entirely. Pour the juice you have extracted in a pot. Simmer it uncovered for an hour until you are left with a thick consistency such that when you dip a spoon, the syrup should coat the back of it. If you are not keen on having to go through this process, you can definitely buy date syrup online and enjoy the same sweet goodness.
Uses
Date syrup has a number of uses and it is a very good alternative to your artificial sweeteners. Drizzle it on top of your pancake or waffle or mix it in your shakes and smoothies. You can also add it to your roasted veggies such as brussel sprouts of carrots. It is even a perfect garnish for your ice cream and desserts! The things that you can make with date syrup is just limitless.
When date syrup is a constant in your pantry and you make it a point to use it regularly, eventually you will notice its health benefits to your body. It can greatly aid you if you are trying to lose weight or relieve your constipation. Dates can also aid in boosting your memory and aid in preventing heart diseases. The best part is, dates also have anti-ageing benefits, which is a good reason why you need to stock up on date syrup immediately. Go ahead and use it instead of sugar to sweeten your tea or coffee.