Iranian dates and ethnic date-based products

Abstract

The origins of date production and use in Iran go back to about 4000 bc. Today, more than 400 types of date and various kinds of date-based foods are consumed by the Iranian people. This study aimed at documenting the information about date and date-based products in Iranian cuisine. The required data were determined by interviews with the farmers, domestic people, consumers, producers, and sellers of dates. In addition, online databases and scientific articles were screened. The most common and popular types of date in Iran such as mazafati, zahedi, piyarom, and kabkab were introduced. Also, the popular kinds of date-based products such as date-pilaf, egg-date, and date-pastry were documented. Additionally, the cultural and social aspects of these foods were considered. The results showed that the dates and date-based foods are known to be of great importance in the national Iranian cuisine.