Honor Your Uncle The Palm
Those succulent looking dates, protected by a cellophane wrapper, are something more than just an after-dinner munch - they serve as bread to thousands of our Asian neighbors, and have a legendary history as old as time itself. The dish had stayed in the middle of the table all through dinner. Now, as I sat back and reached for my cigarettes, my host pushed it over and said, “Have one.”
"Those look as though they might have been dates,” I said. "What are they, Bob”?
"They are dates - ginned dates.”
"Ginned dates, eh?" I exclaimed.
"That’s a new one. I thought dates were only good for throwing into puddings and things."
"That’s all you know about dates," my host replied.
I confess it was, almost, but I know more now. I know, for instance, that dates are as old as creation. Legend claims that some time before the apple episode, Adam cut his hair and nails and buried the
"Those look as though they might have been dates,” I said. "What are they, Bob”?
"They are dates - ginned dates.”
"Ginned dates, eh?" I exclaimed.
"That’s a new one. I thought dates were only good for throwing into puddings and things."
"That’s all you know about dates," my host replied.
I confess it was, almost, but I know more now. I know, for instance, that dates are as old as creation. Legend claims that some time before the apple episode, Adam cut his hair and nails and buried the
cuttings in a corner of the Garden of Eden. A tree loaded with ripe dates immediately grew on the
spot. Adam fell prostrate with surprise and adoration. Whereupon, the Angel Gabriel appeared and designated the fruit as Adam’s future food. "You were created of the same material as this tree which shall nourish you," the Angel said.
The date palm is almost a sacred institution to the Arab. It is the chief means of existence for hundreds of thousands of the Semitic race. Nomadic tribes in the deserts of Arabia have been known to subsist for weeks at a time on nothing but dates, washed down with water or milk. In many parts of Irak, dates are used to an even greater extent than bread and potatoes.
The Prophet Mohammed during his lifetime consecrated the palm with these words: "There is among the trees one tree which is blessed. It is the palm. Honor your Uncle the palm. It resembles man by its upstanding bearing, by its separation into two sexes, and by its necessity for the pollination of the female. If its head is cut off, like man it dies. If its heart is exposed to too great a strain, it perishes. If its limbs are cut off, it cannot grow others in the same place. It is covered with a fibre analagous to the hair of man."
In the Bible, the date palm is mentioned as being used only for ornamental purposes. This is because the climate of Palestine is not conducive to the ripening of the fruit. It was very prominent in all the carvings that covered the walls of Solomon's temple. A palm sheltered the stable in which Mary gave birth to the Christ Child. Later, when Jesus entered Jerusalem on that memorable Sunday, He carried a date palm in His hand as a sign of authority.
The foremost appeal to mankind has been more mundane than ethereal. The date contains a big percentage of carbohydrates, fats, salts and proteins. Dates have a calorific value of 283, compared
with 194 for mutton, and it is no mystery that they have become a most popular food the world over.
Irak, which produces nearly 80 per cent. of the world date crop of 350,000 tons, exports 120,000 tons annually. Curiously, the main port of Irak, Basra, is only a few miles from what is believed to be the site of the Garden of Eden - the legendary birthplace of the date. The Irak groves extend about 120 miles inland along the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates, to a depth of one to three miles. The whole area is pierced by over seventy canals averaging two miles in length, 120 feet in width and 15 feet in depth. These canals are used exclusively for irrigation and transport. Irrigation is carried out almost entirely by tidal action, the impact of the sea tides causing the river to rise and fill the inland arteries with fresh water twice a day.
spot. Adam fell prostrate with surprise and adoration. Whereupon, the Angel Gabriel appeared and designated the fruit as Adam’s future food. "You were created of the same material as this tree which shall nourish you," the Angel said.
The date palm is almost a sacred institution to the Arab. It is the chief means of existence for hundreds of thousands of the Semitic race. Nomadic tribes in the deserts of Arabia have been known to subsist for weeks at a time on nothing but dates, washed down with water or milk. In many parts of Irak, dates are used to an even greater extent than bread and potatoes.
The Prophet Mohammed during his lifetime consecrated the palm with these words: "There is among the trees one tree which is blessed. It is the palm. Honor your Uncle the palm. It resembles man by its upstanding bearing, by its separation into two sexes, and by its necessity for the pollination of the female. If its head is cut off, like man it dies. If its heart is exposed to too great a strain, it perishes. If its limbs are cut off, it cannot grow others in the same place. It is covered with a fibre analagous to the hair of man."
In the Bible, the date palm is mentioned as being used only for ornamental purposes. This is because the climate of Palestine is not conducive to the ripening of the fruit. It was very prominent in all the carvings that covered the walls of Solomon's temple. A palm sheltered the stable in which Mary gave birth to the Christ Child. Later, when Jesus entered Jerusalem on that memorable Sunday, He carried a date palm in His hand as a sign of authority.
The foremost appeal to mankind has been more mundane than ethereal. The date contains a big percentage of carbohydrates, fats, salts and proteins. Dates have a calorific value of 283, compared
with 194 for mutton, and it is no mystery that they have become a most popular food the world over.
Irak, which produces nearly 80 per cent. of the world date crop of 350,000 tons, exports 120,000 tons annually. Curiously, the main port of Irak, Basra, is only a few miles from what is believed to be the site of the Garden of Eden - the legendary birthplace of the date. The Irak groves extend about 120 miles inland along the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates, to a depth of one to three miles. The whole area is pierced by over seventy canals averaging two miles in length, 120 feet in width and 15 feet in depth. These canals are used exclusively for irrigation and transport. Irrigation is carried out almost entirely by tidal action, the impact of the sea tides causing the river to rise and fill the inland arteries with fresh water twice a day.
Iraq. River scenes on the Euphrates taken at Hilla. Sun rays through a palm grove, 1932.
Photographer: American Colony (Jerusalem). Photo Department.
Image has been cropped see original here Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2019706905/
An interesting anomaly of the date trade is that countries like Algeria and Tunisia in North Africa, which themselves produce and export dates, import large quantities of the Irak product. The reason for this is that Basra dates keep in perfect condition in their containers for periods as long as twelve months. The North African climate being insufficiently hot and moist to dry the dates on the trees before picking, the Tunisians and the Algerians have to shin up their palms like telephone linesmen and cut their crops while they are still fresh. Such dates keep only for a short period of weeks before they turn sour and ferment.
You’ve been wondering, of course, how to prepare ginned dates. Well, here’s the recipe. Put one pound of whole dates, with stones, in a jar or pickle bottle. Add gin, whisky and rum. Cork the bottle or jar for three weeks until well matured. Then uncork and hoe in. Simple? Yes, but very delicious.
Source
You’ve been wondering, of course, how to prepare ginned dates. Well, here’s the recipe. Put one pound of whole dates, with stones, in a jar or pickle bottle. Add gin, whisky and rum. Cork the bottle or jar for three weeks until well matured. Then uncork and hoe in. Simple? Yes, but very delicious.
Source
The Sun News-Pictorial, January 28, 1950, see here
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