Dates

About Dates

Dates are the fruit of the date palm tree, which is grown only in tropical regions of the world. Dates are very healthy and popular because of their naturally sweet taste and the great number of antioxidants, Carbohydrates, fiber, iron, potassium and zinc that dates contain. Consuming 4 dates with milk in the morning can guarantee a whole day energy supply.

Iran has many types of dates with a unique taste which only grows in Iran such as Piarum and Mazafaty. dates have different types in size, texture, color, and taste and they are divided into 3 groups of dry, semi-dry, wet. Iran produces close to one million tons of date fruit annually t. There are 400 different types, 50 of which are well known in international markets and are exported throughout the world.

Mazafati Dates

Mazafati dates are one of Iran’s exclusive types of which has soft, semi-wet, and fleshy texture, normally Mazafati dates are around 3-5 cm. maximum moisture is 34% depending on harvest time They are best consumed as fresh dates.

Mazafati date grows in warm tropical weather conditions and the southern areas of Iran are the perfect place for the production.

The best type of Mazafati date grows in the city of Bam in Kerman Province of Iran. Bam region has around 28000 Hectares of the lands under the harvest of Mazafati date.

Piarum Dates

Iran has some exclusive Date types and Piarom is one of them. it is the most expensive and luxurious date of Iran because of the beautiful look and very delicious chocolate-like taste. with Max %15 moisture, can be kept up to 18 months. 3-5cm oval shape dark brown to black is the physical details of the Piarum date. Harvest Time of Piarom is around mid-September. Piarom date grows organically in a chemical-free process. Primarily, this variety of Date is consumed in domestic markets, but due to increased production in recent years, steps have been taken towards exporting also.

Hajiabad area is the main producer of Piarom date, located in the Hormozgan province, southern Iran.

Zahedi Dates

Zahedi Dates grows in almost all warm and tropical regions of Iran, however,  some regions are well known for producing the best quality of this Date, it is known as a dry date. Iranian Zahedi Date moisture is under 14% and it has a long shelf life of approximately 18 months. The color of the Zahedi date is yellow to light amber and the harvest time is around September. This type of Date is produced in Khuzestan, Fars, Bushehr, and Kermanshah provinces. The date is oval-shaped with a length of 3 cm. Zahedi date in high in carbohydrates and due to its dry texture It can be stored all year long.

Sayer Dates

Also known as Stamaran, is another type of popular Iranian dates among international markets. Iran has the %65 share of the world’s production of this type. Like Zahedi dates the main production of Sayer Date takes place in Khuzestan province. It is one of the highest quality dates produced in Iran and a well know type worldwide.

Sayer dates are count as semi-dry dates with a sweet, unique taste. They are long and oval in 2-4cm sizes. The ripen color of Sayer date is reddish or dark brown. Sayer dates are available on the market both pitted and un-pitted.

Rabbi Dates

Rabbi date is semi-dry, long, oval shape date, its size is 3-5cm and it has a soft, meaty texture. Rabbi Dates have an attractive black to dark brown color and have a unique taste. their moisture level is around 16%.

Saravan is the main city that Rabbi dates are cultivated in Sistan and Baluchistan province. the main international markets of Rabbi are central Asia countries. Rabbi dates can be kept 1 year in normal conditions and it reaches up to 18 months in a cool dry place.

Kabkab Dates

Kabkab dates are considered a wet variety of dates due to their high moisture level of around 18%. They are long, oval, and the length is around 3-4 cm, the color of Kabkab dates varies from yellow to dark brown depending on ripeness. Kabkab dates have a soft, fine texture and hard skin due to their long, gray pit that clings to the flesh. They are popular for their delicious, sweet, syrupy taste.

As a wet date, Kabkab can be kept in normal room temperatures for about 6 months, and shelf life extends to a year in cold storage conditions

Shahani Dates

Shahani dates with 25 percent of moisture at most, is the local dates of Fars and Hormozgan. Indeed, it is mostly grown in Larestan, Firouz Abad, Fasa, Darab, and Jahrom. You may know them as Jahrom dates, too. An interesting point about these dates refers to having dual sizes and amount of moisture. In other words, these light brown dates can be either long or small, and wet or dry. It is mostly used for industrial purposes.

Kalute Dates

Kalute is originally cultivated in Jiroft one of the cities in Kerman province. This delicious variety of date has brown skin and soft meat. The humidity of this product may vary depends on picking time. The length of this product may increase up to 3.5 cm. The best places for growing Kalute is Jiroft, Bam, and Kahnouj. Kalute variety grows fast and it can be used and picked on July.

Kalute resembles Mazafati and the Khalal type of this product is red.