Dates

[Smithy]

Please say more about the "dates", @BonVivant. I've never seen them so pale - even the Deglet Noor - and they're rounder (as opposed to oblong) than most I've seen. How do they taste?

[blue_dolphin]

38 minutes ago, Smithy said:

Please say more about the "dates", @BonVivant. I've never seen them so pale - even the Deglet Noor - and they're rounder (as opposed to oblong) than most I've seen. How do they taste?

 

I'm not @BonVivant, but we get yellow Barhi dates that look like this in local farmers markets around this time of year.  They are sweet but not cloying with a firm, crisp texture.  According to this article in the LA Times, the Medjools and Deglet Noors are too astringent at this stage but the Barhis only have a hint of that and are the only locally grown date variety that's sold at this stage.  Apparently there are many such varieties grown in the Middle East.  

Edited September 3, 2018 by blue_dolphin (log)

[Smithy]

50 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

 

I'm not @BonVivant, but we get yellow Barhi dates that look like this in local farmers markets around this time of year.  They are sweet but not cloying with a firm, crisp texture.  According to this article in the LA Times, the Medjools and Deglet Noors are too astringent at this stage but the Barhis only have a hint of that and are the only locally grown date variety that's sold at this stage.  Apparently there are many such varieties grown in the Middle East.  

 

 

Thank you for that. Barhi is one of my favorite varieties, but I've only seen them when they were darker. The linked article is enlightening. Thanks!

[BonVivant]

6 hours ago, Smithy said:

Please say more about the "dates", @BonVivant. I've never seen them so pale - even the Deglet Noor - and they're rounder (as opposed to oblong) than most I've seen. How do they taste?

 

I always get them from Turkish supermarkets. After some searching I've learnt this variety is the most common in Turkey, called Datça. Taste is super sweet, like honey. Very crunchy. Flesh is white (same for all varieties). The first shipment is most expensive, I paid 10 euros for a kilo (that's exactly 1 kilo in the photo posted above). After that the price drops. They are in season right now. Gonna hit the Turk supermarket again this weekend.

 

Look up the red variety. It's stunning, like the colour of beetroots. I would travel to eat the red varieties, unfortunately they are only found in countries which are on my black list, or not safe for most tourists.

[shain]

43 minutes ago, BonVivant said:

Look up the red variety. It's stunning, like the colour of beetroots

Do you refer to Hayani dates? Those are more dark reddish in color and are also sold fresh. 

[BonVivant]

1 hour ago, shain said:

Do you refer to Hayani dates? Those are more dark reddish in color and are also sold fresh. 

 

There are several, with varying intensities of redness. Have a look at Wiki's long list of cultivars. It is said that the red kinds are even sweeter. And I think Turkish Datça is already super duper sweet!

[Kim Shook]

On 9/1/2018 at 5:59 AM, BonVivant said:

My kind of date.

 

 

Funny coincidence - I'd never heard of or seen these before this picture and then last night when we stopped by our local Asian market for snow peas, there they were.  

[Thanks for the Crepes]

16 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

Funny coincidence - I'd never heard of or seen these before this picture and then last night when we stopped by our local Asian market for snow peas, there they were.  

 

The way my mind works, I may not notice something if it is unfamiliar and I'm not looking for it. That is why I love learning about ingredients here on eG so that if I do chance across them, I'll know something about them and maybe my overload filter will not just discard them. My culinary world is so much wider now thanks to this place, and I am so thankful for that.