The First-Ever Date Nut Bread Recipe Was Published In 1939, However, Dates Are Among The World’s Oldest Fruits.

We celebrate the healthy, wholesome, and flavorful bread that is enjoyed for breakfast and teatime on National Date Nut Bread Day, December 22. Dates and nuts such as walnuts and pecans are thrown into the mix and baked to perfection but, really, you can use any add-ons you like.

Date nut bread is popular during the holiday season as it is sweet but not overly so.

• 4000 BC – Dates have grown since 4000 BC in Egypt. Since then, Egypt has been the world’s top exporter of dates.
• 1765 – The Spaniards brought dates with them to California.
• 1920s – Published recipes for the bread “date” back to the 1920s, but fruited breads were also known in earlier centuries and many different parts of the world.
• 1939 – The first-ever date nut bread recipe is published
• 1960s – Sugar and shortening content are increased to evolve the traditional date-nut bread recipe into what we know it as today.
• 2006 – A date nut bread-eating championship was held in New York. The winner ate 29 sandwiches in just 8 minutes.  Sponsored by Chock Full o’Nuts coffee company, this competition was won by Pat Bertolett, with second place going to John Chestnut, who is one of America’s most well-known gurgitattors.
• Nuts are defined as simple, dry fruit with one seed (very occasionally two) in which the seed case wall becomes very hard at maturity.
• True nuts include pecan, sweet chestnut, beech, acorns, hazel, hornbeam, and alder.
• Peanuts, almonds, pistachios, cashews, horse chestnuts, and pine nuts are not nuts.  So the health warning on a packet of peanuts (“may contain nuts”) is, strictly speaking, untrue.
• Peanuts are actually a type of legume.
• Besides being both festive and flavorful, date nut bread is made with two great plant-based ingredients: dates and nuts.
• Dates are naturally sweet and thus the perfect substitute for refined (stripped of fiber) sugar, which is so often called for in baking recipes.
• Walnuts are usually the ‘nut of choice’ for this bread, but there are no hard and fast rules; other nuts (like pecans) can be used depending on your own taste preferences.
• In terms of health advantages, walnuts are the ‘star’ nut; research has found that they may help lower blood cholesterol, prevent sudden cardiac death, and improve artery function—when eaten in moderation and in conjunction with a healthful diet.
• One word of caution when it comes to dates and nuts. They are relatively high in sugar (the first) and fat (the latter) and are calorie-dense, so a little goes a long way!
• The word “date” is derived from a Greek word (dáchtylo), which means “finger.”
• Dates have been shown to help with constipation; promote bone health and ward off osteoporosis; and aid in intestinal disorders, heart problems, anemia, sexual dysfunctions, as well other health issues.
• One type of date nut bread, date and walnut loaf, is traditionally eaten in Britain and is made with treacle, a sugary syrup, or with tea, along with dates and walnuts. It is also popular in Scotland, Australia, and New Zealand.
• Date nut bread is popular in the United States, especially around the holidays.
• Date palms cover 3% of the earth’s cultivated surface. Four million tons are grown annually.
• Israeli researchers recently sprouted a date pit almost 2000 years old. An ancient variety once thought extinct is making a comeback.
• The date palm is the national symbol for Israel and Saudi Arabia, representing vitality and growth.
• Date palm trees need at least 100 days of 100ºF heat and plenty of water to produce the best quality fruit.
• The bulk of US dates are grown in California’s Coachella Valley.
• Medjool dates are the hardest dates to grow and, therefore, one of the most expensive to buy.
• Dates are rich in proteins, vitamins like B1, B2, B3, B5, A and C, and minerals like magnesium, copper, selenium, and manganese. It is a good source of iron and calcium.
• Dates are good for the bones, muscles and nervous system of the human body. It is a wholesome food on its own.
• There are approximately 290 calories in a single serving of date nut bread.
• Strong liquor and vinegar are all extracted from dates.
• Every part of the date palm tree serves a purpose. It is called the “tree of life,” and in the Middle East, the tree provides many products including fuel, packing material, and rope. The seeds may be used as feed for livestock or ground into flour for baking. Date seed oil is also incorporated into lotions and moisturizers.
• Dates come in more than 200 varieties. One of the largest types of dates is the Medjool date. It is difficult to grow, making it the most expensive date variety.

Sources:

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