DATES

11th December 2023

Photo credit: LianeM & Svetlor (Getty Images) via CAVA

Virginity, like an old courtier,

Wears her cap out of fashion.

Richly suited but unsuitable,

Just like the brooch and the toothpick

Which wear not now.

Your date is better in your pie and your porridge

Than in your cheek.

PAROLLES: Alls Well That Ends Well, Act 1, Scene 1

DATES (Phoenix dactylifera)

Dates, the fruit of the Date Palm, are referenced in Romeo and Juliet, a Winter’s Tale and in the punning sense above. Dates were imported and appeared in many recipes of the Elizabethan period.

Date Palms are native to the Arabian Peninsular, Iran, Iraq and Pakistan but have been introduced to many countries as a food plant and decorative tree.

John Gerard (1597) describes his experiments with Date Palm growing: “I have planted many times in my garden, and have grown to the height of three foot: but the first frosts hath nipped them in such sort, that soon after they perished, notwithstanding my industry by covering them, or what else I could do for their succour.”

More Information

Kew Plants of the World Online: Date Palm

John Gerard