Dates have been around for thousands of years, used in appetizers, main courses, and desserts. In antiquity dates were THE premier sweetener (there was no chocolate — no sugar!).
Pliny the Elder warns of the dangers of overeating delicious dates:
Indeed, when in a fresh state they are so remarkably luscious that there would be no end to eating them, were it not for fear of the dangerous consequences that would be sure to ensue.
(Natural History, 13.9)
Follow food archaeologist Farrell Monaco as she prepares a simple yet delicious dish of dates and shares a brief history of this ancient dessert.
These were part of the dessert offerings at a Roman feast we put on at our local elementary school, to complement the kids’ studies. These are kid-doable. The young chap worked with care and focus, finding the hidden hole and carefully pushing in the almond halfway, leaving the end out as a non-sticky handle. Next time I make these, I will ONLY do the cracked black pepper. What a revelation! Finally I can enjoy dates, without feeling poisoned by excessive sweetness.
I love your celebration of dates, and to hear about the ancient date seed germinating two thousand years later. We have a date each day, one for myself and two for my husband. We stuff these with a whole brazil nut, the combination is divine, but I shall try yours. By the way, I use to throw the dates pips onto the garden, but they all germinated after spending a winter in cold British Soil. Did you know that many dates palm trees are grown in the UK ready for exporting to grow further in other countries. They are not far from where I live, and I was amazed to read this in a magazine article.http://www.date-palm.co.uk/
Dates and black pepper? Sounds divine!