Description
Dates are dark reddish brown & oval in shape & its skin are wrinkled & coated with a sticky, waxy film. It is the fruit of the date palm & each cluster can hold up to 1700 dates. It is grown in sub-tropical and desert areas in Australia, California, North Africa & the Arab States.

Distinct Feature
Dates are divided into 2 groups based on the taste.
Soft dates (grown in Middle East)
Tend to have higher moisture content, little sugar & mild flavor compared to other dates. It is often consume in the fasting month of Ramadan.

Hard dates (grown in Arab States)
Tend to be dry even if it's fresh. These dates are not suitable to be process as dried dates as it tends to be extremely hard & very sweet. They are used to ground into flour.

Nutrition Benefit
Dates contain protein, Vitamins A & B, high in potassium, rich in fibre (soluble & insoluble) & contain more natural sugar than other fruits. It helps prevents constipation.
As potassium is release from urine, potassium-rich foods are often recommended for people taking diuretics. In addition, a diet rich in potassium will have a lower risk of stroke.
1998 Harvard School of Public Health analysis of data from the long-running Health Professionals Study found that '38% fewer strokes among men who ate 9 servings of high potassium foods a day against those who ate less than 4 servings. Among men with high blood pressure, taking a daily 1,000 mg potassium supplement (3/4 cup pitted dates) reduced the chance of getting a stroke by 60%.'

Usage
Good to be taken as a snack.
It can be done as bakery for cakes or can be done as dressing for salads.