DATE AND DATE PALM are the fruit and tree that supply one of the chief articles of food in north Africa and the Middle East. The Bible speaks of the date palm as the palm tree, and the poetry and proverbs of the East often mention it. Human beings probably cultivated the date palm before any other tree. Sun-baked bricks, made more than 5,000 years ago in Mesopotamia, record directions for growing the tree.
Egypt and Iraq rank as the world's leading producers of dates. Other important date-growing regions include Saudi Arabia, Iran, Algeria, Pakistan, and Sudan.
The Tree. Next to the coconut palm, the date palm is the most important plant of the palm family. The stem stands tall and straight, about the same thickness all the way up. Offshoots grow from the base, but they are removed except when used for growing new plants. A crown of large leaves shaped like feathers grows on top. Pagans, Jews, and Christians have used these leaves in their religious services from earliest times. The flowers growing among the leaves attract little attention. Male and female flowers grow on separate trees. In orchards, cultivators carry the pollen by hand to the female flowers. The fruit grows and ripens after the flowers have received the pollen.
Date palms begin to bear fruit four to ten years after planting. They need a hot dry climate. They grow best in a temperature that stays around 90 °F. (32 °C) for three months of the year. The trees grow well in a sandy, alkaline soil. Growers often rely on irrigation to supply the water needed by the roots. During the ripening season, rain harms the fruits, and growers protect them by covering them with paper bags. Algerian date trees grow in deep pits dug in the soil of an oasis. The roots of the trees reach moisture far below the surface.
Date palms grow 40 to 100 feet (12 to 30 meters) high. Growers consider a yearly yield of 100 to 200 pounds (45 to 91 kilograms) of dates for a tree as very good, but some trees produce more.
The Fruit. On the trees, dates have a rich red or golden color. Most people know them best when they are dried. Then they are sweet, fleshy, oblong fruit, a deep russet or brown, over 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) long. The long tough seed has a furrow along one side. People eat dates fresh or dried, and use them in cooking. The Arabs pound and mix them together to make cakes.
