Piarom Dates

What is the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of the origins of a date fruit? Exotic lands where the sun shines bright and powerful throughout the year, right? While most of the ordinary dates are indeed grown in scorched desert lands, Piarom dates need a cooler climate to develop properly. Many believe that there is only one area in the entire world where the Piarom dates can be successfully cultivated: the Hajiabad region, South of Iran. In Hajiabad’s villages, clusters of dates hang proudly from beautiful palm trees, broad leaves peacefully swaying in the cool breeze. Little streams have been dug in the ground to allow water to easily reach every single palm tree. Hajiabad’s dates are produced 100% chemical-free.

For thousands of years, dates have been the most well-loved fruit in the Middle East and in fact they are commonly believed to have been one of the first fruit ever consumed by humans. Rich in potassium, magnesium and Vitamin C, they have attracted the attention of cuisine experts from all over the world.

Often referred to as “chocolate dates”, Piarom dates are a long, lean fruit; semi-dried with delicate skin and the most luscious chewy flesh that is very sweet but significantly lower in sugar content than the common date fruit, and they are also packed with fiber which makes them the perfect sweet bite next to your morning cup of tea and coffee.

Inspired chefs have incorporated this wonderful fruit into their recipes and created a variety of wonderful dishes. With a bunch of Piarom dates on hand, even the humblest home cooks can manage to produce amazing exotic creations as easy as raw Piarom date energy balls or as hearty and complex as a roasted chicken with a Piarom date and pomegranate stuffing.

What are dates anyway?

Dates are the fruits of the date palm tree (Phoenix dactylifera) nothing short of a superfood.

Depending on the stage of fruit maturity, dates are referred to as fresh or dried.

Photo by Rahbar Emamdadi

Dates are a Great Additions to Your Daily Diet

They are rich in soluble and insoluble fibers which boost gut health, and are loaded with selenium, copper, potassium, magnesium and moderate concentrations of manganese, iron, phosphorus, and calcium which reduces risk of disease.

From a young age, many of us come to associate celebrations with sweets, from cake at birthday parties to dessert after finishing our veggies. “This is part of what makes sugar so comforting. And for many of us, sugary treats are like a hug — soothing and reassuring.

Curb your craving and satisfy your sweet tooth with a date fruit which is among the sweetest around; the delicious source of healthy sugar and free of refined sugars and unhealthy fats.

Stuffed Dates

For thousands of years, dates have been the most well-loved fruit in the Middle East and in fact they are commonly believed to have been one of the first fruit ever consumed by humans.
Inspired chefs have incorporated this wonderful fruit into their recipes and created a variety of wonderful dishes. With a bunch of Piarom dates on hand, even the humblest home cooks can manage to produce amazing exotic creations as easy as raw Piarom date energy balls or as hearty and complex as a roasted chicken with a Piarom date and pomegranate stuffing.
There are many ways to add dates to your diet. One popular way to add them as a natural sweetener in various dishes. They also make a great snack.

Stuffed Dates

It’s easiest to find dates in their dried form, though these are higher in calories than fresh fruit so it is important to eat them in moderation.

Dates and Diabetes

Since dates are a natural source of fructose, they might be a concern for people with diabetes.

However, they have a low GI and medium GL, and they are safe for diabetics if used in moderation. Dates can be consumed by diabetic patients if their sugar levels are under control (It is recommended to consult your dietician/doctor for the amount of dates that can be consumed).

How do I use dates?

Dates are normally used as a final product for consumers as a fruit snack, but they are also used as an ingredient in home cooking and in bakery, confectionery and other food manufacturing industries.

Stuffed Dates

If dates are consumed as a snack, they are generally used whole, either with pits (or stones) inside or pitted (or destoned). They can be chopped and used as an ingredient in mueslis or trail mix. Date can be processed into products such as date paste, date juice or syrup, and liquid date sugar. Even the pits can be used to produce oil and coffee substitutes.

How are dates classified?

Some varieties of dates are left on the tree to ripen completely, and they change color, soften considerably, and reduce in size, weight and moisture content, and the sugar content is increased. Dates are generally classified by their sugar and moisture content.

Based on the sugar content dates are generally classified into two categories [1,2]:

Cane sugar varieties and invert sugar varieties. The sugar content in Cane Sugar Varieties is mainly sucrose while the sugar content in Invert Sugar Varieties is free Glucose and free Fructose. In most varieties, the sugar content is almost entirely of the inverted form (glucose or fructose), but a few varieties mainly contain cane sugar (sucrose).

Based on moisture content ripened dates are generally classified into three categories:

Fresh: with 18% to 35% moisture.
Semi Dried: with 15% to 18% moisture.
Dried: with less than 15% moisture.

References:

[1] https://www.cbi.eu
[2] https://www.verywellfit.com/what-you-should-know-about-invert-sugar-4163580

Where do dates come from?

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, Egypt is the largest producer of dates in the world with around 17% of global production. Despite its large production, Egypt accounts for less than 3% world exports of dates.
At 15% Iran is the second-biggest producer of dates (1.2 million tons) in the world [1].

Khuzestan, Bushehr, Fars, Kerman, Hormozgan and Sistan Baluchestan provinces have the highest number of palm trees in Iran. Kerman province, has the largest volume of date production in Iran. Here are photos of date palm orchards in Iran:

Photo by Sadegh Mobarak

Referense:

[1] https://www.intracen.org/news/The-global-trade-in-dates/

Iranian Piarom Dates are Truly Special

Piarom dates exclusively grow in Hormozgan Province (Haji-Abad region) in Iran.

They are Semi-Dry, with the moisture around 14-16%. They are black or dark brown in color with soft & pliable texture. The harvest time of Piarom is October & November.
With no chemical/artificial additives, they are GMO Free and Gluten-Free. Piarom’s storage Life is 12 Months in cool and dry place (0 – 4℃).

Where does Piarom come from?

What is the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of the origins of a date fruit? Exotic lands where the sun shines bright and powerful throughout the year, right? While most of the ordinary dates are indeed grown in scorched desert lands, Piarom dates need a cooler climate to develop properly.

Many believe that there is only one area in the entire world where the Piarom dates can be successfully cultivated: the Haji-abad region, South of Iran.

In Hajiabad’s villages, clusters of dates hang proudly from beautiful palm trees, broad leaves peacefully swaying in the cool breeze.

Little streams have been dug in the ground to allow water to easily reach every single palm tree. Hajiabad’s dates are produced 100% chemical-free.

Often referred to as “chocolate dates”, Piarom dates are a long, lean fruit; semi-dried with delicate skin that clings closely to the most luscious chewy flesh.

Their beautiful iconically creased skin is unique among date varieties and allows a thorough washing process that ensures a completely clean product that is safely eaten raw.

Piarom dates are very sweet but significantly lower in sugar content than the common date fruit, and they are also packed with fiber which makes them the perfect sweet bite next to your morning cup of tea or coffee.
Rich in potassium, magnesium and Vitamin C, they have attracted the attention of cuisine experts from all over the world. ‌ Inspired chefs have incorporated this wonderful fruit into their recipes and created a variety of wonderful dishes. With a bunch of Piarom dates on hand, even the humblest home cooks can manage to produce amazing exotic creations as easy as raw Piarom date energy balls or as hearty and complex as a roasted chicken with a Piarom date and pomegranate stuffing.
Piarom dates can be eaten as it is or may be seeded and stuffed, chopped and used in a great variety of ways: in cereals, in puddings, bread, cakes, cookies, ice cream, candy bars, paste, spread, powder (date sugar), jam, jelly, juice, syrup, vinegar or alcohol.

Product specification

Once the dates are picked and washed, they are sorted into grades based on quality and size and then stored in cold temperatures. Even in dry form, dates are often frozen to prolong shelf life. A frozen cold chain is maintained during transport and further storage. On retail shelves, dates are usually offered at ambient temperatures.
The basic quality requirements for dates include absence of insects, damage, mold, fermentation and any foreign smell or taste.

Piarom Dates Nutrition Facts – Typical Values per 100 gr [1]

Reference:

https://www.nutritionvalue.org