Dried Dates

Also known asKurma Kering · Dried Medjool

Name: Dried Date — the dried fruit of the date palm, Phoenix dactylifera. This entry reflects Medjool, a large, soft-fleshed variety commonly sold semi-dried; firmer varieties such as deglet noor are the type most often dried further for long-term storage.

Description

The date palm is a tall, long-leaved tree grown across the irrigated deserts of North Africa, the Middle East, and increasingly California, believed to have first been domesticated somewhere around present-day Iraq. A single bunch can carry over a thousand fruits, and the tree has been central to desert agriculture and trade for thousands of years, valued as both a staple food and a form of wealth.

Because fresh dates are already low in moisture and very high in sugar, they keep unusually well once fully ripened and dried, whether left to dry naturally on the palm or dried afterward for market. Different varieties are typically eaten at different stages: some, like Medjool, are often sold soft and only partly dried, while firmer types such as deglet noor are more commonly dried further into the dense, chewy product most people picture as a “dried date.”

Main nutrition value

Per 100g, dried dates (medjool):

Dried dates are notably rich in fiber — nearly 7g per 100g, more than most other dried fruit — and carry a substantial amount of potassium, plus useful amounts of magnesium, copper, and pantothenic acid.

How best to be consumed

Two or three dates (roughly 40-50g) already supply well over 100 calories and close to 30g of sugar, so they're best treated as a concentrated snack rather than a fruit to eat freely. Dates work well eaten out of hand, stuffed with nuts or cheese, or blended into smoothies, energy balls, and baking as a natural sweetener in place of refined sugar.

Overconsumption could cause…

Dates are among the most sugar-dense dried fruits, so eating them in large quantities can meaningfully raise blood sugar and calorie intake, which matters most for people managing diabetes or watching their weight. Their sticky, fibrous flesh can also cling to teeth and contribute to cavities with frequent snacking, and the high fiber content, while generally beneficial, can cause bloating or digestive discomfort if intake increases suddenly.

GroupsDried FruitsPalm family (Arecaceae)High fibreLow fatLow sodiumRich in potassiumMiddle Eastern and North AfricanDried

Made fromDate

Related foodsDried CoconutDried LonganDried LycheeCurrantsDried PersimmonDried Pear

U.S. Department of Agriculture, FoodData Central — Dates, medjool (FDC ID 168191), 100g portion: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/168191/nutrients Encyclopaedia Britannica — date palm: https://www.britannica.com/topic/date-fruit