J Ethn 4 (2017) 204e209

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Journal of Ethnic Foods

journal homepage: http://journalofethnicfoods.net

Original article Iranian dates and ethnic date-based products

* Vahid M. Karizaki

Chemical Engineering Department, Quchan University of Advanced Technology, Quchan, article info abstract

Article history: Background: The origins of date production and use in Iran go back to about 4000 BC. Today, more than Received 28 March 2017 400 types of date and various kinds of date-based foods are consumed by the Iranian people. This study Accepted 7 August 2017 aimed at documenting the information about date and date-based products in Iranian . Available online 12 August 2017 Methods: The required data were determined by interviews with the farmers, domestic people, con- sumers, producers, and sellers of dates. In addition, online databases and scientific articles were Keywords: screened. date-based products Results: The most common and popular types of date in Iran such as mazafati, zahedi, piyarom, and dates ethnic kabkab were introduced. Also, the popular kinds of date-based products such as date-, egg-date, and Iran date- were documented. Additionally, the cultural and social aspects of these foods were considered. Conclusion: The results showed that the dates and date-based foods are known to be of great importance in the national . © 2017 Korea Food Research Institute. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

1. Introduction and historical perspectives of the Nyonya food in Malaysia [21] have been reported. Recently, numerous studies have been made on the issue of Date is one of the most common ingredients of the Iranian na- ethnic foods [1e8].Bydefinition, the term ethnic foods refers to the tional cuisine. (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is considered a cuisine of a country, which is socially and culturally accepted by major fruit crop in the hot desert regions (semi-arid and arid lands) people that live outside of that country. To illustrate, Iranian cuisine of the world [22,23]. It is rich in certain nutrients and marketed is considered as ethnic food outside Iran [9]. Some investigators widely as a high-value foodstuff [22]. The main component of date have tried to introduce the ethnic foods of their countries. For is (70e80%); most of which is in the form of glucose instance, Korean fermented soybean products [10], Thai fermented and fructose [24]. These can be rapidly absorbed by the soybean [11], Portuguese traditional [12], Ethiopian human body. It is estimated that 100 g of this fruit crop can provide -based food [13], Turkish ethnic [14], Uzbek > 300 kcal of energy. Date also contains proteins, pectin, lipids, traditional foods [15,16], Iranian -based foods [9], and some , and minerals [25,26]. Indian nonfermented ethnic foods [8] have been documented in Egypt is the largest producer of dates in the world followed by recent years. Iran, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Pakistan. The worldwide pro- Also, various studies have addressed the historical, biological, duction of dates has been increased from 6.7 million tonnes in 2004 nutritional, cultural, social, or economical aspects of ethnic foods in to > 7.5 million tonnes in 2014. According to the Food and Agri- different countries. For example, the biological and historical as- culture Organization of the United Nations, Iran produced pects of bibimbap in Korea [17], social aspects of traditional > 1.15 million tonnes of dates, which ranked first among the Asian in Iran [18], eating behavior and cultural aspects of foods in China countries, in 2014 [27]. [19], historical and cultural aspects of native foods in America [20], The food consumption pattern of the Iranian people shows that they consume an average 7 kg of dates per year. However, the annual per capita consumption of dates in southern is 25 kg, meanwhile the approximate value of 100 g is recorded * Corresponding author. Chemical Engineering Department, Quchan University of for the European Union in 2012. There are various reasons why the Advanced Technology, Quchan, Khorasan Razavi, Iran. E-mail addresses: [email protected], mohammadpour_vahid@yahoo. per capita consumption of dates is high in Iran. One of the main com. reasons lies in the fact that this fruit crop is cheap and easily http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jef.2017.08.002 2352-6181/© 2017 Korea Food Research Institute. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). V.M. Karizaki / Iranian dates and ethnic date-based products 205 available, due to its high production values. The second important 3.2. Date types point is the people's attention to traditional medicine that recom- mends consuming dates in daily diet. The next reason is the firm Recently, Iran has been a leading global producer of dates. More and deep relation between the Iranian people and Islamic culture. than 400 date varieties are known in the country. Some varieties The majority of Iranians are Muslim (~98%, roughly 80 million have wonderful properties or characteristics. For instance, mor- people). Dates are mentioned in a number of places throughout the darsang is the only date in the world that has a cold nature. This Quran. high-grade date is cultivated in Kerman and Hormozgan Provinces. Due to high production rate of dates and the tendency of One of the most precocious cultivars in the country is shakkar.Itisa consumer to use them, different kinds of date-based foods are sweet date that is mainly grown in the north of Khuzestan. Shakkar produced. Date paste, date syrup, nectar date, juice date, date in Persian means . Negar is an example of a special date that is seed flour, and fermented date concentrate are the important produced in Kerman province. This variety of date is long and foodstuffs that can be obtained from dates [28e30].Inaddition, slender. several ethnic date-based products with special medicinal and Based on a report of the Iran Ministry of Agriculture, > 98% of healthy characteristics are consumed by Iranian people. Date- dates are cultivated in the southern belt of the country. Dates are pilaf, egg-date, and date-pastry are the most popular of these grown in 13 of the 31 provinces. Kerman, Sistan-Baluchestan, products. Khuzestan, Bushehr, Fars, and Hormozgan are the biggest date- In spite of remarkable strides to introduce Iranian dates, few producing provinces in Iran (Fig. 1). scientific reports have been published on this subject. The objective As mentioned earlier, khorma is the Persian word for date. This of this research was to introduce and document the most common word applies to dates that are completely ripe. Furthermore, two and popular varieties of dates, and different kinds of ethnic date- other categories can be defined for those dates that are not ripe. The based products consumed in Iran. Also, the cultural and social as- first group is unripe dates called kharak, and the second group in- pects of these nutritious foods are investigated, as well as a review cludes ripening dates (a little before ripeness) named rotab. of the historical background. Table 1 introduces 13 kinds of dates produced and consumed in Iran. It shows the name, variety, shape, color, harvest time, and the major producers of each date. In addition, the main property or 2. Materials and methods characteristic of date varieties are mentioned in this table. The most popular and important dates in Iranian cuisine are discussed below. A questionnaire-based survey was applied among farmers, do- mestic people, consumers, producers, and sellers of dates. The in- terviews with the people were conducted by personal visit, as well 3.3. Kabkab as remotely by telephone. Additionally, online databases and the scientific publications Kabkab dates can be consumed pitted or unpitted for industrial were investigated for gathering the required data. Furthermore, the purposes, and direct consumption. Mechanical removal of seeds historical documents and Persian literary texts and religious books from date flesh is easy, due to elasticity of the date fibers. Demand were reviewed for data. The pictures of dates presented in this work and supply of kabkab dates are of importance in the domestic trade were taken after buying dates from the local market of . market of Iran. Although the kabkab date is widely cultivated in Mashhad is the second largest city in Iran, and the various varieties different areas, one of the most famous varieties is produced in of date can be found in this metropolis. The pictures of the date- Behbahan City in . The popularity of kabkab of based products were taken after preparation. Behbahan is related to the high quality and sweetness of this date. Fig. 2A shows the desirable date of kabkab. 3. Results and discussion

3.1. Historical background

The exact origin of the date is unknown, but it is estimated that the date palm was cultivated in Iran about 4,000 BC. The significant evidence from archaeology shows that there were signs of date trees in stamps of the Elamites period. Several traces related to date palms have been found in Assyrians inscriptions. Due to the importance of palm trees in the Babylonian Dynasty, several law articles were approved to deal with the date. For instance, Article 59 of the law explains that the penalty for cutting or uprooting a date tree is 225 g silver. The Persian word for date is khorma. In addition, the other words such as nakhl and rotab have been used in . For example, the word nakhl is mentioned in one of the oldest Persian scientific encyclopedias called Bondaheshn. There is a subject matter on plants in this ancient book of the 9th century.

Also, the goat and date tree is the name of an old Persian fable that Fig. 1. The top six producers of dates in Iran. In 2014 the cultivated area of dates in was published ~3,000 years ago. The benefits of a goat and a date these six provinces is ~200,000 ha with a total production of 1,000,900 tonnes. (1) tree are discussed in a dialog between both of them. Finally, the Kerman, the production of date in this province is nearly 30% of total production in the goat concludes that it is better and more useful than the date tree country. (2) Sistan and Baluchestan, the planted area of date in this province is ~35,000 ha with 17% of total production. (3) Khuzestan, this southwest province with the following statement: “I can move and graze in green, contributes ~15% of the total date production. (4) Bushehr, the date production in this beautiful, and lush pasture, while you are motionless, like a nail in province is >14%. (5) Fars, ~13% of dates are produced in this province. (6) Hormozgan, the ground. Therefore, I am better than you”. it contributes >11% of the total production of dates in Iran. 206 J Ethn Foods 2017; 4: 204e209

Table 1 The most common types of Iranian dates.

No. Name Variety Shape Color Harvest timea Major producer Main property/characteristic Image

1 Allmehtari Soft Long and small Yellowelight brown June Hormozgan A precocious cultivar d 2 Barhi Soft Pseudosphere Amber, brownered September Khuzestan Very delicious and luscious d 3 Dayri Dry Long and thin Dark brown September Khuzestan An important commercial cultivar d 4 Gantar Soft Ellipse Brownered September Khuzestan Long shelf life d 5 Kabkab Soft Long Dark browneblack September Bushehr, Khuzestan An important commercial cultivar Fig. 2A 6 Khassui Soft Small Light brown, Red October Khuzestan, Bushehr Luscious, long shelf life d 7 Khazravi Semi-dry Pseudo-egg Light brown September Khuzestan A major export cultivar in Iran trade d 8 Mazafati Soft and Cylinder Dark browneblack August Kerman, Most desirable in Iran and many Fig. 2B fleshy SistaneBaluchestan parts of the world 9 Piarom Semidry Long and thin Dark browneblack September Hormozgan One of the most expensive and Fig. 2C and fleshy desirable in the world 10 Rabbi Semidry Long and thin Dark brown, red August SistaneBaluchestan An important commercial cultivar Fig. 2D and fleshy 11 Sayer Semidry Ellipse, rectangle Brownered September Khuzestan A major export cultivar in d Iran trade, long shelf life 12 Shahani Semidry Long with Brown, golden August Fars Having the second largest cultivated d thin head brown land areas in the country 13 Zahedi Dry, semidry Pseudoellipse Yellowebrown September Khuzestan, One of the most frequently used in Iran Fig. 2E Bushehr, Fars

a Dates may be harvested in other months, based on the geographical and weather conditions.

3.4. Mazafati 3.6. Rabbi

Mazafati is a soft, sweet, and fleshy date of medium size (7e9g Rabbi is a high-grade and famous date of Iranshahr and Zabol weight and 2.5e4.5 cm length) that is mainly grown in Bam, and Cities in Sistan-Baluchestan Province. Chocolate texture and roas- Jiroft located in Kerman Province. It is one of most delicious vari- ted taste of this delicious date make it a favorite in Iran. In addition eties of date in the world. This kind of date plays an important role to desirable varieties, there are some inferior kinds of rabbi date in the economy of southern provinces. Mazafati is the most famous with hard texture. The rabbi date has a long shelf life and can be date in large cities in Iran, especially in the capital. One type of this stored at room temperature in a dry place. One type of rabbi date is delicious date is shown in Fig. 2B. shown in Fig. 2D.

3.5. Piarom 3.7. Zahedi

Usually, this variety of date is longer than the other Iranian This variety of date is cheap and abundant (~1.5 US dollars per dates (4e5 cm). It is soft, slender, and tasty. The surface skin of kg in the domestic market of Iran) and almost all Iranians can piarom is thin and also fully clings to the date flesh (Fig. 2C). This consume it easily. The word zahedi in Arabic language refers to delicious date is a premium foodstuff for exporting among other something that is cheap and available in large quantities. Although kinds of dates. Piarom is the most expensive date in Iran (~7 US zahedi dates are produced in different regions of the country, the dollars per kg), and can be found only in some hypermarkets and main production is in the area named Poshtkooh in Bushehr big pastry and shops. The piarom date is free of chemicals and Province. Zahedi dates are used for and alcohol production. pesticides and cultivated organically. In this type of date, the main This kind of date can be transported and stored conveniently, due to sugar is fructose. Therefore, it is appropriate for people with its dry nature. Also, it has a long shelf life of ~1 year in cold and dry diabetes. places. Fig. 2E shows a high-grade type of zahedi date.

Fig. 2. The most popular and common types of the Iranian dates. (A) Kabkab, even unripe date can be consumed after and drying. (B) Mazafati, almost all Iranian people have consumed this kind of date. (C) Piarom, the most delicious variety of piarom is cultivated in the north of Hormozgan Province. (D) Rabbi, it is one of the most precocious cultivars in Iran. (E) Zahedi, some people prefer zahedi date with their instead of sugar. V.M. Karizaki / Iranian dates and ethnic date-based products 207

3.8. Date-based products 3.11. Date seed oil

Any product that can be obtained from dates, date seeds, or date About 11e18% weight of date fruit is date seed, which is waste is called a date-based product. All these products can be composed of , proteins, and lipids. Also, date seed oil classified into two groups: (1) date-based products such as date- (roghane-haste khorma in Persian) mainly includes four fatty acids, pilaf and egg-date that are prepared in the home, or in small linoleic, oleic, palmitic, and . This no-cholesterol oil is (noncommercial) operations; and (2) products such as date alcohol beneficial for cardiovascular patients. Date seed oil is commercially and date seed oil that are produced commercially, or in large op- produced in some parts of the country such as Fars and erations. However, some of date-based products can be found in Provinces. both groups. For instance, date vinegar as a byproduct of date waste is produced commercially in some parts of the country, as well as 3.12. Date seed homemade. Table 2 introduces the most popular date-based products that About 70% of the date seed is composed of fiber. Therefore, are produced in Iran. It shows the , English equivalent, making bread with date seed flour is beneficial for those patients and the main ingredients of each product. Also, the operation mode with digestive diseases. In some rural areas of the country espe- (homemade, commercial, or both) for production of date-based cially in southern provinces, the bread may be prepared by using products is mentioned. In addition, the application or property of flour enriched with milled date seed. Also, making bread each product is presented in the table. The popular and common with composite flour of date seed-wheat leads to increase shelf life date-based products are discussed below. of the bread.

3.9. Date-pilaf 3.13. Date-pastry

Date-pilaf (khorma polow in Persian) is a type of Iranian mixed Kolompeh or koluche khorma is an Iranian pastry baked in some pilaf that is consumed as an energizing food with hot nature. The parts of the country, especially in Kerman (Fig. 3D). It is a date filled traditional Iranian medicine divides food by its attribute (hot or that is traditionally cooked by domestic people, as well as cold attribute). Consumption of a balanced system of hotecold industrially manufactured in different forms and shapes. This foods can adjust the inner environment of the human body, and nutritious and delicious pastry is individually stamped, decorated result in the prevention and recovery of the diseases. Dates and with or sesame powder, and is made from hot-nature raisins are well mixed with the parboiled or soaked rice and then ingredients such as date paste, , and with no cooked (Fig. 3A). However, Iranian cuisine features various added sugar. Kolompeh has a long shelf life and it is a healthy choice for preparation of date-pilaf. Adding , walnut, milk, for afternoon snacks or at . , minced , and the other ingredients such as , , and into rice layers is also common. The favorite 3.14. Social and cultural aspects of Iranian dates variety of date for preparation of this delicious food is mazafati. As mentioned earlier, there is an inseparable relationship be- 3.10. Egg-date tween the Iranian people and Islamic culture. Some eating and dietary habits of present consumers originated from Islamic Egg-date (khorma tokhmemorgh in Persian) is considered a high- guidelines. For instance, the moderate use of dates in daily diet is energy food that is usually served at breakfast or evening recommended in this religion. Therefore, the continual con- (Fig. 3B). The two main ingredients of this food are date and egg. sumption of containing dates or date-based products is The simple and common method for preparation of egg-date is common and usual throughout the country. Some people frying the date first on the stove, then adding egg into the pan, and consume dates instead of sugar cubes or sugar for drinking tea. cooking for a few minutes to set the egg. However, adding the other Also, dates may be used with cheese or butter at breakfast, or even components such as walnut, and butter into is usual. as an easy and light dinner. Dates are a nutritious food with hot

Table 2 The most common and popular date-based products in Iran.

No. Date-based product Main ingredients Application/property Production mode Image

Persian name English equivalent

1 Khorma polow Date-pilaf Date, rice, raisin, Energizing, nourishing Homemade Fig. 3A butter, saffron 2 Khorma tokhmemorgh Egg-date Date, egg, oil Sexual ability enhancement, Homemade Fig. 3B (Omlete Khorma) weakness treatment 3 Jushande-haste khorma Boiled-date seed Date seed, hot water Kidney stone treatment Homemade d 4 Nane-haste khorma Date seed bread Date seed flour, water Beneficial for diabetics Homemade, d commercial 5 Roghane-haste khorma Date seed oil Date seed Peptic ulcer treatment Commercial d 6 Shire khorma Date syrup Date, water Energizing, Iron deficiency Homemade, Fig. 3C anemia treatment commercial 7 Khamire khorma Date paste Date Energizing, nourishing Homemade, d commercial 8 Koluche khorma Date-pastry Date paste, walnut, Energizing, nourishing Homemade, Fig. 3D (Kolompeh) wheat flour, butter, egg commercial 9 Serke khorma Date vinegar Date waste Antibacterial Homemade, d commercial 10 Alkole khorma Date alcohol Date waste Antibacterial, nonedible Commercial d 208 J Ethn Foods 2017; 4: 204e209

Fig. 3. Some types of date-based foodstuff produced and consumed in Iran. (A) Date-pilaf, this food is prepared at home and seldom served in a restaurant or hotel. Date-pilaf is more common in Ahvaz and southern cities. (B) Egg-date, this delicious food can be made and served in less than half an hour. (C) Date syrup, it is a very good alternative to sugar in some parts of the country. (D) Date-pastry, this traditional Iranian sweet is recommended for strengthening body.

Table 3 Cultural aspects of dates in Persian literature.

No. Author Book Author's year of birth The mentioned point

1 Ferdowsi Tusi c. 940 The date tree is sign of tall stature. 2 Mawlan a Rumi Masnavi 1207 The date palm is introduced as sign of hope. 3 Saadi Shirazi Gulistan 1210 The bounteous man is similar to a date palm. 4 'Abd al-Rahman Jami Haft Awrang 1414 The fecundity is symbolized by date palm. 5 Muhtasham Kashani Dıwan-e Ashar 1500 The date palm is introduced as symbol of tallness. 6 Vahshi Bafghi Farhad and Shirin 1532 As a symbol, the date tree is associated with strength and power. 7 Feyz Kashani Dıwan-e Ashar 1598 The date tree is sign of tall stature. 8 Hatef Esfehani Dıwan-e Ashar c. 1700 The date palm is symbol of fertility. 9 Foroughi Bastami Dıwan-e Ashar 1798 The date palm is a symbol of hope and expectancy. 10 Malek o-Sho'ara Bahar Dıwan-e Ashar 1884 The date palm is symbol of life and nature. 11 Parvin Etesami Dıwan-e Ashar 1907 The date palm is considered as a symbol of stability and stamina. nature that is sometimes consumed for equilibrating those foods putting a walnut or slice into the date is another method that have a cold nature such as milk, or fish. From a healthy point of preparation. of view in the Iranian culture, a balanced diet of hot and cold foods The Persian literature is the origin of some principles of Iranian is better. culture. For instance, Saadi Shirazi e one of the greatest Persian The date consumption is increased during the holy month of poets of the period e introduced palm as symbol of Ramazan (the 9th month of the Islamic calendar). Muslims generosity ~800 years ago. Today, Iranian people consider a boun- abstain absolutely from eating and drinking before the break of teous person like a palm. Table 3 shows some standpoints about dawn to sunset. Due to the zero food intake and starvation dates in Persian literature from famous Iranian literary figures. during the day, the consumption of dates is overemphasized Dates as a nutritious and salutary foodstuff are important in before and after fasting. The Prophet Muhammad often broke his Iranian cuisine. The historical background of this fruit crop has been fast with dates. briefly reviewed. Two categories related to this popular food A well-accepted principle in Iranian culture deals with the including different types of dates and the various kinds of the date- eating of dates in the funeral ceremony and death anniversary. based products were introduced. Furthermore, the cultural and The forgiveness of dead people is a custom that is accompanied social aspects of the dates were considered, as well as geographical with the consumption of dates. Although the use of dates in information. Due to the medicinal, healthy, and nutritional prop- these ceremonies is common and popular, there are various erties of different varieties of dates, novel date-based products may methods for preparation of dates. Sometimes, the purchased be produced in the near future. dates from the market are set in a tray without any change. However, sprinkling coconut powder over the dates is a popular Conflicts of interest method of preparation. Also, coconut powder can be replaced by or almond powder. Bringing out the date kernel and The author has no conflicts of interest. V.M. Karizaki / Iranian dates and ethnic date-based products 209

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