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ARABIA IS the home of the
date palm. For nearly 6000 years now, nomads have planted date
palms near oases to ensure a reliable supply of food for fellow
desert-travellers. Dates are an important part of the diet,
trade, medicine, folklore and myth of Arabia. The leaves are an
important element in the celebration of Palm Sunday, the Sunday
before Easter, which commemorates Christ's triumphant entry into
Jerusalem. The energy-rich fruit is particularly popular in
Hyderabad during the month of Ramadan, but it is also relished
all year round. Because it is low in protein, the common Arab
practice is to eat it with milk. Date honey, sugar and alcohol
are only some of the derivatives of this versatile tree. The
tree pith can be turned into edible flour, the palm heart makes
for a great salad, and the seeds yield oil and are also
nutritious cattle feed. Roasted, ground seeds are mixed in
coffee as adulterant.
Throughout the Middle East, the date is an alleged aphrodisiac
and a symbol of fertility. The Arab belief that drinking date
pollen juice improves the chances of bearing children is more
than sheer superstition: research shows that pollen contains
oestrogen-like hormones. Paradoxically, swallowing a few date
seeds is said to prevent conception for a few years. It is
employed in folk remedies for cough, bronchitis, asthma,
diarrhoea, piles, gonorrhoea and infections of the bladder. In
India, the tannin-rich gum and sap are also in use in cures for
diarrhoea and genitor-urinary infections. The laxative effect of
the fruit counteracts the constipation caused by a largely
meat-based, low-fibre diet. The high sugar content reverses the
low blood sugar levels brought on by alcohol consumption. In
Nigeria, dates and peppers are added to beer to allay this
hypoglycaemic effect of alcohol. On the other hand, date palm
liquor is a heady drink, capable of inducing deep intoxication
and hypoglycaemia. Root paste is an analgesic for toothache.
Decoction made from seed powder is used to treat malarial
fevers. Nutritionally, dry dates are one of the most calorie
dense natural foods known to man-320 Calories per 100 gm. They
are also rich in potassium, calcium and magnesium, while being
low in sodium. This makes the date an ideal pre-race snack for
endurance athletes. The sugar is easily digestible, making it an
ideal food for convalescents and invalids. The rest of us who
need to watch the needle on the bathroom scales are better off
making it an occasional snack or dessert. And no more than that!
RAJIV
M. |