A date with dates: How the fruits are an essential part of the Ramzan diet

As Ramzan approaches, dates will again be an unmissable part of feasts across the globe, in its natural form, or as part of innumerable dishes

In Muslim homes, the weeks leading up to Ramzan are filled with great expectation — not just of spiritual succour, but also of some culinary expeditions. This year, Ramzan is expected to begin in mid-April, after the sighting of the crescent moon. The ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, it prescribes dawn-to-dusk fasting. And this fasting is naturally accompanied by feasting, in various degrees of richness. The Ramzan spread has to have a little of everything — warm soups, cold sherbets, fried snacks, grilled meats, gravies and rice dishes — but it is the date, the small fruit of the Phoenix dactylifera L. palm, that crowns the table globally, especially during iftar (breaking of the fast).