Date palm fruit

Date palm fruit was essential to the diet of a Bedu family

Traditional Arabic hospitality includes dates and Arabic coffee.

After spending the winter searching for grazing for camels, the Bedu families would return to the oasis when the date palm fruit was ready for harvesting. For centuries the date palm fruit has played an important role in the Arabic diet.

Tamr

A vitamin-rich substance called tamr was made by lightly boiling the ripe dates then compressing them.

The high sugar content of the tamr acting as a preservative would keep the substance, practically indefinitely.

The date fruit was also kept in storehouse - any date syrup which seeped from these fruits was carefully collected.

In addition to the harvest of dates, which were essential for survival and grown around an oasis the date palm tree itself offered many uses for Bedouin families.

The Bedu family would waste no part of the date palm tree

After being dried palm fronds could be plaited before being used as matting which was could be used for walls or roofing. Containers were also made from the plaited fronds and in this way the date tamr could be transported on journeys to sea, or into the desert.

The trunks of the date palm were sometimes hollowed out to make boats. Other uses were to use the hollowed trunks as a mortar and the stump of a trunk as the pestle, for crushing of wheat. Trunks of the palm were sometimes used in larger constructions such as castles and forts.

Over 64,000 tonnes of Dates harvested in Abu Dhabi in 2006

Although date fruit is no longer as essential to the Arabic diet there are over fifty varieties grown in the UAE. Many of these date palm trees are specially irrigated and propagation has developed to use tissue culture.

According to the UAE official website over 64,000 tonnes of were produced in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi during the season of July - November 2006. Abu Dhabi and the UAE are proud of their heritage and traditional Arabic hospitality still includes being offered Arabic coffee and dates.

Khalifa International Award
for Date Palm

The Gulf News recently covered news of this exciting competition.

Thanks were given to the late Shaikh Zayed, who was well aware of the important social and economic value of the palm tree and was committed to reaping all of its benefits.

Due to his efforts there are now 40 million date palms in the United Arab Emirates. This is the largest production capacity in the whole region.

The Award has been divided into three categories:

Research, Studies and Technologies
Prize - First place Dh200,000
Second place Dh150,000

Best Producer for individual and/or institutions
First place Dh200,000
Second place Dh150,000

Influential Figure(s) in the Date Palm Industry
Dh200,000 for the winner

Read more about this competition on the Gulf News website

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