The eighth day of Christmas – Christmas dates
Why Christmas dates deserve a spot on your festive table
As Christmas Eve creeps closer, chances are a box of sticky dates has made its way into your shopping basket – but why are they such a festive staple?
The answer lies in both tradition and geography. Dates are one of the oldest cultivated fruits, found throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Their long history is entwined with Biblical lands and narratives, so it makes sense.
First appearing in Britain in the early medieval period, arriving from north Africa via Arab and Venetian traders, dates were considered an exotic luxury. Their naturally high sugar content made them a prized ingredient at a time when refined sugar was rare and costly. Before refrigeration and global supply chains, they offered a rare source of sweetness and nutrition during the dark, cold months.
Over time, as global trade expanded, dates became more accessible. By the Victorian era, they had evolved into a special seasonal treat, and by the 1970s, everyone had a box of dates in the cupboard complete with that long, thin plastic ‘stem’ – you know the one – for delicately prising out each sticky date.
Having fallen out of favour, probably because those dates tended to be hard and fibrous, Christmas dates are now back on the menu thanks to the availability of medjool dates.
Native to Morocco, medjool dates are one of the thousands of types of fruit grown from the date palm. Known as ‘the fruit of kings’, and originally eaten by royalty, Medjool dates were thought to ward off fatigue.
How sustainable are dates?
Your Christmas dates are excellent at sequestering carbon in soil, as well as preserving moisture and fertility, so they can have some positive impacts on the environment. For example, traditional date-palm oases, which are common in north Africa, are renowned for providing high biodiversity and ecosystem service provision, including soil stabilisation. However, many of their farming practices are still harmful to people and the environment.
Dates have a high water requirement of 64–83 inches of water per year. Because of where they grow, they need significant irrigation to meet this need.
Date palms produce much more than just their fruits. The main components of date palm biomass are the structural and fibrous compounds cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignan that can be utilised in other ways. For instance, date palm biomass can be used to make biofertilisers, biofuels, and fuel pellets that can be used in place of coal in power plants and other industries.
How nutritious are dates?
Dates are full of protective plant compounds which have antioxidant properties. These include polyphenols, carotenoids and lignans, which have been shown to help manage the risk of chronic disease.
Dates are high in fibre, which helps to maintain a healthy gut microbiome and reduces the risk of certain long-term health conditions. A small 2015
study found that date consumption may reduce colon cancer thanks to its high fibre and polyphenol content, the latter also having useful anti-microbial properties.
Christmas dates are a source of bone-friendly minerals including phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium. They are also a source of vitamin K which is needed for healthy, strong bones.
Here’s a delicious recipe using Christmas dates…
Festive Energy Balls
These only contain natural sugars, as well as providing fibre, potassium and iron.
Makes 12 balls
Ingredients:
- 70g rolled oats
- 200g pitted dates
- 2 tsp honey
- 3 tsp cocoa powder
- Zest of an orange
- A pinch of cinnamon
- Dash of oat milk
- 20g desiccated coconut
Method:
- In a food processor, add the dates, oats, honey, cocoa powder, orange zest and cinnamon. Blitz until everything is well combined.
- Add a dash of oat milk to the mixture so that the paste is just dry enough to roll into balls in the palm of your hand. If the mixture is too wet, it will become very sticky and difficult to roll. If it’s too dry, the balls will fall apart.
- Once done, roll each ball in the desiccated coconut.
For more festive inspiration, keep an eye out for the rest of our 12 Days of Christmas blogs arriving throughout December – a dive into every ingredient’s history, sustainability and nutrition, along with a delicious recipe …
Christmas bakes – stirring up tradition
01 December – smoked salmon
02 December – turkey
03 December – Brussels sprouts
04 December – parsnips
08 December – red cabbage
09 December – chestnuts
10 December – cranberries
11 December – dates
15 December – walnuts
16 December – clementines
17 December – cloves
18 December – cinnamon