Date syrup

Date syrup is a healthy, natural sweetener made from concentrated date juice and widely available in jars and bottles sold commercially in supermarkets and health food shops. The better brands contain no preservatives or additives, and it is easy to make the syrup yourself. The ingredient is especially popular in the Middle East but has become better known in the west through its use in recipes by well known cookery writers and celebrity chefs.

It can also go under the name of date molasses and date honey.

The use of date syrup was especially highlighted in Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi’s cookery book Jerusalem published by Ebury in 2012 showcasing the culinary influences of the Muslim, Jewish, Arab, Christian, and Armenian communities of the Mediterranean region. In an interview with the Guardian newspaper, Ottolenghi referred to date syrup as the “curveball” ingredient in the book and recommended drizzling it on “roasted veg or hummus-like purées”. It is also worth drizzling it over goats cheese, Greek yoghurt, or using it as a substitute for processed sugar in baking recipes.

There are many recipes online for making date syrup but the basic process involves boiling dates in water until the dates break up and the volume of water reduces. The mixture is then strained through cheesecloth or similar. The liquid is then boiled further to reduce to the desired consistency between a runny syrup or something tending more toward molasses.

Here is a useful YouTube video: How to make Healthy Date Syrup-Best Recipe

Nutritionists claim that date syrup is better than honey in helping to fight off infections. See: Date syrup shows promise for fighting bacterial infections

Dates are a good source of energy, sugar, and fibre. They contain essential minerals such as calcium, iron, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, magnesium and zinc. They also contain vitamins such as thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folate, vitamin A and vitamin K.