Dry or soft dates are eaten out-of-hand, or may be pitted and stuffed with fillings such as almonds, walnuts, candied orange and lemon peel, tahini, marzipan or cream cheese. Pitted dates are also referred to as stoned dates. Dates can also be chopped and used in a range of sweet and savory dishes, from tajines (tagines) in Morocco to puddings, ka'ak (types of Arab cookies) and other dessert items.

Food features:Dates are also processed into cubes, paste called "'ajwa", spread, date syrup or "honey" called "dibs" or "rub" in Libya, powder (date sugar), vinegar or alcohol. Recent innovations include chocolate-covered dates and products such as sparkling date juice, used in some Islamic countries as a non-alcoholic version of champagne, for special occasions and religious times such as Ramadan.

Place of origin:Dates have been a staple food of the Middle East for thousands of years. They are believed to have originated around the Persian Gulf, and have been cultivated since ancient times from Mesopotamia to prehistoric Egypt, possibly as early as 4000 BCE.

Nutrition:The nutriment is extremely abundant in the date fruit; there is a living vitamin pill a saying. Through analyzing, it contains many kinds of mineral substances (such as iron, phosphorus, calcium ) and various kinds of vitamin, besides vitamin A, B, vitamin C, P even very much high content, occupies the first place in various kinds of fruit. It also contains human body essential amino acid at the same time, ring phosphoric acid gland glycoside, eating it will have better results to the cancer of treating, so this fruit is praised as " the king in the fruit ", it with respect in the imperial family as the tribute in successive dynasties.

Dietotherapy function:According to a study by Al-Shahib and Marshall, in many ways, "dates may be considered as an almost ideal food, providing a wide range of essential nutrients and potential health benefits." Dates are a very good source of dietary potassium. The sugar content of ripe dates is about 80%; the remainder consists of protein, fiber, and trace elements including boron, cobalt, copper, fluorine, magnesium, manganese, selenium, and zinc