Dates are a staple fruit of the Middle East and one of the most nourishing.

During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk. At the end, when breaking the fast, dates are the main fruit usually used. Prophet Mohammed used dates when he broke his fast. Maybe, we can call dates one of the blessed fruits and the bread of the desert.

Dates are locally available in many varieties, affordable and used by any level of people, including the sick. Dates have a good part to show Arab hospitality - with Arabic coffee (gahwa) as a welcome for guests.

Only the female palm tree bears dates. Workers manually collect the pollen from the male flower and deposit on the female flower. People taking care of palm trees need to do a good job to get good dates. During Ramadan, please remember them. Thomas Varghese