September  2015

DATE Season in EGYPT

      The farmers have built the corn stalk enclosures where they will spread  the dates until they ripen. And  they have climbed the date palms with their round trays and gathered their bounty. 

      The red 7amrawi were taken down and carted to markets immediately followed by the yellow seewee which are collected, cut from their branches and spread  on the ground and allowed to ripen and dry for a few days. The drying dates make for a very colorful pattern when seen from above. 

Photo courtesy of Google 

      People at home are busy making date jam with the samanee variety- the yellow fat date with a pink cheek. They spend hours peeling, cooking, pitting, stuffing with cloves and almonds and canning; a long and tedious process that is crowned with one of the most favorite Egyptian jams .

      This year, I decided to do things differently. We dried many kilos of our dates which are grown under safe agriculture measures, making them one of the safest dates to eat. I also turned a portion of my date crop into raw date paste to use as a sweetener later on in winter. Then I used my mother's recipe to make a date delight that isnt quite a jam, but is sweet and creamy with pieces of dates swimming in a date sauce. It is best when served cold with fresh cream or piled on toast or dry bread.  I will be taking my new products to the annual DATE FESTIVAL at Fagnoon on October 10. Come by and taste! 

bil hana