Date honey,date syrup,date molasses,Debes(Arabic:دِبس,pronounced[dibs]), orrub(Arabic:رُب,pronounced[rubb];Hebrew:דְּבַש תמריםdvash tmarimor סילאן,silan;Persian:شیره خرما) is a thick dark brown, very sweetfruit syrupextracted fromdates.It is widely used inMiddle Eastern cuisineandGreek cuisine.
History
editTheBook of Deuteronomyin theHebrew Bible,in describing the abundance of theHoly Land,includes honey among its bounties.Rabbinic textssuch as theJerusalem TalmudandSifreinterpret this honey as date honey rather than bee honey.[1][2]Archaeological evidence from Jerusalem supports the use of date honey during this period. A storage jar, marked with a palm tree and found in a room of a building destroyed during thesiege of Jerusalemin 586 BCE, indicates that date honey was stored there.[3]
First-century Jewish historianJosephus,in his account of the oases ofJerichoand the various date varieties grown in this region ofJudaea,notes that "the better kinds [of dates], when pressed, yield an excellent honey not much inferior in sweetness to other honey."[2]
Nutritional aspects
editDate syrup is rich in the monosaccharidesglucoseandfructose.[4]This means that most of its sugar content is absorbed into the bloodstream, and it raises the blood glucose levels more efficiently and immediately than other syrups. It is therefore highly suitable for people suffering fromhypoglycaemia,for those withsucrose intoleranceor those with pancreatic problems who have difficulty absorbing disaccharides.[citation needed]Date syrup is higher in magnesium and potassium than some natural sweeteners such asmaple syrupandhoney,and it has been a popular alternative to sugar in recent years.[5]It is also rich in antioxidants due to its high phenolic and flavonoid content[6][7][8]and has been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory activity.[9][10]
In national cuisines
editIt is used widely inLibya,usually withasida,a porridge-like dessert.
InIranianandIraqicuisine, date syrup is used to sweetentahini,consumed at breakfast. An alternative isgrape syrup.
InAlgeria,date syrup is used in desserts such asbaghrir.
In theMiddle East,date syrup is used for flavoring chicken and potatoes. They are rubbed in date syrup mixed with cardamom, salt, and olive oil, and then rolled in sesame before being fried in olive oil or baked it in the oven as a whole. Date honey is also used as a sauce for stuffed vegetables, such as onions and turnips, and as an ingredient in a semolina cake calledbasbousa,which gives the cake a honey-like taste.
Bangladesh produces around 20,000 tonnes of date molasses in each year.[11]TheKalkini Upazilaregion of Bangladesh is famous for itsdate juiceand date molasses.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Deuteronomy, 8:8; Jerusalem Talmud,Bikkurim1:3; Sifri,Tavo60
- ^abGoor, Asaph (1967)."The History of the Date through the Ages in the Holy Land".Economic Botany.21(4): 324, 326.ISSN0013-0001.
- ^Magness, Jodi (2024).Jerusalem through the ages: from its beginnings to the Crusades.New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 98.ISBN978-0-19-093780-5.
- ^Bouhlali, Emiad dine Tariq; Derouich, Mgal; Meziani, Reda; Bourkhis, Boucha; Filali-Zegzouti, Younes; Alem, Chakib (2020)."Nutritional, mineral and organic acid composition of syrups produced from six Moroccan date fruit (Phoenix dactylifera L.) varieties".Journal of Food Composition and Analysis.93:103591.doi:10.1016/j.jfca.2020.103591.S2CID225554702.
- ^"Date Lady Nutrition Information".Date Lady.Retrieved2018-11-09.
- ^Abbès, Fatma; Kchaou, Wissal; Blecker, Christophe; Ongena, Marc; Lognay, Georges; Attia, Hamadi; Besbes, Souhail (2013)."Effect of processing conditions on phenolic compounds and antioxidant properties of date syrup".Industrial Crops and Products.44:634–642.doi:10.1016/j.indcrop.2012.09.008.
- ^Bouhlali, Emiad dine Tariq; Bammou, Mohamed; Sellam, Khalid; Benlyas, Mohamed; Alem, Chakib; Filali-Zegzouti, Younes (2016)."Evaluation of antioxidant, antihemolytic and antibacterial potential of six Moroccan date fruit (Phoenix dactylifera L.) varieties".Journal of King Saud University - Science.28(2): 136–142.doi:10.1016/j.jksus.2016.01.002.
- ^Taleb, Hajer; Maddocks, Sarah; Morris, Keith; Kanekanian, Ara (2016)."The Antibacterial Activity of Date Syrup Polyphenols against S. aureus and E. coli".Frontiers in Microbiology.7(198): 198.doi:10.3389/fmicb.2016.00198.PMC4768629.PMID26952177.
- ^Taleb, Hajer; Morris, Keith; Withycombe, Cathryn; Maddocks, Sarah; Kanekanian, Ara (2016)."Date syrup–derived polyphenols attenuate angiogenic responses and exhibits anti-inflammatory activity mediated by vascular endothelial growth factor and cyclooxygenase-2 expression in endothelial cells".Nutrition Research.36(7): 636–647.doi:10.1016/j.nutres.2016.02.010.PMID27333954.
- ^Bouhlali, Emiad dine Tariq; Hilaly, Jaouad El; Ennassir, Jamal; Benlyas, Mohamed; Alem, Chakib; Amamrouch, Mohamed-Yassine; Filali-Zegzouti, Younes (2018)."Anti-inflammatory properties and phenolic profile of six Moroccan date fruit (Phoenix dactylifera L.) varieties".Journal of King Saud University - Science.30(4): 519–526.doi:10.1016/j.jksus.2017.08.011.
- ^Admin, Mr (2021-12-19)."Production of Molasses with Date Juice: Many rural people find source of livelihood".Weekly Bangla Mirror |.Retrieved2022-05-16.
External links
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Media related toDate syrupat Wikimedia Commons
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