Dates are an ancient food that conjure up associations like comfort, luxury and even unearthly delights. They have been described as a fruit of paradise. Extensively cultivated in the Holy Land it is even believed that the “honey” in the description “the land of milk and honey” refers, not to bee honey, but to date syrup, which is referred to as ‘date honey’ in Arabic.

The date palm is nourishing in a multitude of ways, including the highly practical. In many parts of the Middle East the tree is and always has been used in its entirety, not just for its sweet, satisfying fruit, but for every other aspect from its bark to its fronds, which have been used for equipment, decoration and even building material for homes.

A Martini Pairing

In the martini world, they are not a common pairing, but this is a simple and satisfying accompaniment, even though it might feel a little rustic.

Some fruits pair better than others, but what makes this dish work is combining the dried date fruit with sesame paste tahini, married up with  the simple savouriness of salt.

I am very much a fan. The dip can be prepared long in advance of serving and while it’s nice to slightly warm it up if you can, it’s not essential.

Preparing the dish

All you need are some dates, about half a cup of tahini, and salt to taste. Add the tahini to a serving dish and add a pinch of salt. Stir and taste, adding more pinches as necessary to reach your preference.

Bear in mind that you will only have a light coating over your fatty, sweet dates so you might want to slightly over-salt it, but until you work out your preference, go slowly, under-salt to start with and be prepared to add more salt once you’ve actually tried the mixture coating a date.

Serve the dates alongside the tahini dip with some toothpicks.

It also goes very nicely with a hot cup of Omani mountain tea (a refreshing blend of things like rose and mint).

شكراً عمان

I first encountered the dish in the Omani interior capital of Nizwa. It’s a lovely, ancient town with excellent agricultural produce, and a heady scent of frankincense from its charming market.

It can also actually be a really handy pick-me-up if you need a very rapid snack during a busy day. Enjoy!