A fruit that grows in clusters on a palm tree, Phoenix dactylifera, native to the Middle East and Mediterranean. The fruit has a thin skin, which, when ripe, becomes yellow, brown, black or even reddish. For centuries, it was the food of nomads and desert travelers. Dates were cultivated in the Middle East as early as 3500 BC. To the ancients, palm trees provided more than just a nutritious and delicious staple fruit; every part of the tree was used. The leaves were used as roofing and woven into mats, baskets or any number of other useful household items. The fibers could be carved into needles. Date enthusiasts say that there were more than 365 different uses for the tree. Muslims consider the date palm to be the tree of life, because they believed it was created from the dust leftover from the creation of man. The prophet Mohammed often fasted on a diet of water and dates.
Date palms, which are grown in coastal areas that offer sufficient moisture, are abundant producers. Up to several hundred pounds (up to 100 kg) of dates can be harvested from a single tree. Dates are usually pasteurized to prevent mold. Corn syrup is frequently added to keep them from drying out, even though they're very high in natural sugar.
The Ancient Romans referred to the flat of a human hand as palma and later applied the same word to the tree whose leaves resembled an oversize version of the same. Like the Romans, the Greeks also noticed a resemblance between their own fingers and the date palm's smooth, brown elongated fruit, which they called daktulos, or "finger."
