Do I need to wash dried dates out of the package before using them?
A fact that may surprise some: it is imperative to wash dates before eating, even if they are dried and look like ready-made “sweets.”
About the origin of fruits
Dates grow only in hot climates. The main suppliers of the goods are African countries where there are entire date palm plantations.
When fresh, the fruits have no nutritional value and are not stored for long, as they quickly deteriorate. Dried dates develop their unique flavor after all the moisture has been drained from them.
The technology for drying products consists of placing them in a well-ventilated chamber, where a constant temperature is maintained within 30–35 degrees. Thanks to this approach, moisture is released from the pulp gradually, the skin dries out evenly, and cracks do not form on it.
However, in order to speed up the drying process and reduce costs, many producers subject dates to accelerated heat treatment at high temperatures. This leads to a deterioration not only in the composition, but also in the appearance of the fruit.
Before being sent for export, the product is prepared for transportation. It is subjected to potentially hazardous types of processing:
- fumigation;
- spraying with pesticides;
- sprinkling with antiseptic powders.
Fruits are transported in bales and containers that do not protect from dust, exhaust gases and pathogens.As a result, exotic fruits enter our country not only dirty, but also potentially hazardous to health.
What are we buying?
Upon crossing the border, in accordance with sanitary regulations, the cargo is again treated with strong chemicals against biological threats. Then the goods are sent to food depots, where the first stage of pre-sale preparation is carried out.
Fruits are exposed to the following types of influence:
- fumigation with sulfur dioxide;
- soaking in a concentrated glucose solution;
- immersion in sugar syrup;
- rubbing with vegetable oil or other fat;
- wax vapor treatment.
The applied substances give the product an attractive shine, but do not improve its quality. Dirt and infection remain under the new coating. Stored dates become sticky, which contributes to the accumulation of dust, germs and spores during further transportation and sorting.
The fruits are sold packaged in bags or by weight. It should be borne in mind that even very beautiful packaging does not guarantee the purity of the product. The only exceptions are products that have an inscription on the packaging stating that the fruits have been sanitized and cleaned.
If dried dates bought in bulk are not washed before use, this can lead to poisoning and disruption of the digestive system. In addition, the sweet substance applied to the skin of fruits disrupts metabolism and contributes to obesity.
How to properly wash dates?
Dates are widely used in cooking. They are eaten instead of sweets, used in jams and compotes, and used as a filling for confectionery products. But if heat treatment destroys the infection, then raw foods pose a serious health hazard.
The difficulty of washing fruits is that they absorb water very quickly. When they swell, their appearance and taste change for the worse. Therefore, packaged fruits cannot be soaked for a long time. It is also not recommended to pour boiling water or steam over them - this will cause the shell of the fruit to crack and the pulp to cook, making it unsuitable for further use.
When cleaning dates from preservatives, you should adhere to the following rules:
- Substances applied to fruits may be water resistant. They can only be removed with a soap solution. Soaking for 3-5 minutes is enough for the preservatives to soften and dissolve.
- During the soaking process, you can rub the fruits with a sponge or toothbrush - this will remove hard plaque from them. Excessive force should be avoided to avoid damaging the peel.
- After soaking, the dates should be placed in a sieve and rinsed under a strong stream of cold water.
- After washing, the fruits must be dried immediately. They are laid out on waffle towels or napkins and covered with the same material. When the napkins become wet, they need to be changed. It is allowed to blow cold air onto wet dates.
- Even after mechanical drying, the fruits should be allowed to air for 10–12 hours.
Dates should be stored in a paper bag, taken out immediately before eating.
Despite the visual appeal of dates on the counter or in packaging, they are not only possible, but also necessary to wash. By spending a little time and effort, you can be sure that you are consuming a tasty, healthy, and most importantly, safe product.
In the UAE, at a bazaar, I saw how a seller with dirty hands took dates out of a bag and laid them out, scratching his body from time to time... I forever understood how dirty dates are. Previously they seemed clean, because they shine.
I worked in pharmacy for 35 years and saw this.....
I just peel the dates and eat them)) don’t thank me))
It’s better not to eat them than to eat them washed with soap...
it's better in the dishwasher or washing machine, but that's nonsense
There are so many manipulations, it’s easier to stop using them.
The fruits are dipped in special a solution that quickly removes moisture from them. Then they treat it with sulfur dioxide, it then shines on the dried fruits...
I will never buy dates again!
By eating dates on an empty stomach, you remove parasites from the intestines
There are other effective ways to remove parasites.
I loved dates, now I’ll refuse, they’ll write something like that
All my life I have been washing dates in soapy water, without even knowing about such an article………
Yes, you can eat soap, it’s your life
heart patients need to eat two dates a day. (Doctors advise)
Got tired...
After the above, I won’t eat them at all. Wash them with soap with a toothbrush. Then throw everything away. In the old days, we bought and ate them and everything was fine. And now even after washing with soap, the plaque doesn’t come off from the lemons. We have to cut off the peel of the most valuable thing. They poison us as best they can! It’s a pity there is no video. this attraction: Washing dates with soap! Maybe also with household soap. Let it not be scented soap. But the household smells
In “Soviet times” you simply DIDN’T KNOW about all this! “We bought it and ate it and everything was fine” - yeah, but for some reason they built poison control centers, and they weren’t empty... So - no need to “blah-blah”!
And I really love dates, they are very healthy, and there is as much dirt on them as on any other fruit. And the soap is easily washed off and is not as harmful as African mud!
Also tell us about dried apricots, prunes, raisins and other dried fruits and peeled nuts.
Our Russian apples and walnuts are a storehouse of vitamins and microelements. BE HEALTHY!
Russian apples and walnuts are a storehouse of vitamins and microelements. BE HEALTHY!
No matter how much I ate, there were no problems.
I wash all dried fruits (dates, dried apricots, raisins, prunes, etc.) with warm water and soda, then rinse with cold water and vinegar and, finally, in a sieve under running water. Then I dry it.
Either don’t soak them, they will get wet, or soak them for a few minutes. Decide for yourself: to wash or not to wash. I always eat like this and nothing... I lived to be 50)))) But it never even occurred to me to wash with soap.
definitely in boiling water!
There are imported ECO category dishwashing detergents designed for washing fruits and vegetables. Dirt, plaque from apples, etc. flies off in seconds but then rinse with running water for 30 seconds. Can be dried or not.
If it is a synthetic detergent, no matter what you call it, it will not be environmentally friendly! Ordinary soap is better!
You are being stupidly manipulated! LOL
how gullible... Well, refuse! At the same time, give up a lot of other things.
For example, from dried beautiful apricots, from candied fruits, dried apricots, raisins...
But in fact, all you need to do is wash it with plain water! After chatting in it a little, and onto the sieve.
- just in case. after all, the product could have been scattered on the floor, or come into contact with someone’s hands.
I'm not a racist, but everything from Africans is bad for me. I only eat what can be cleaned
I read before that dates are not treated with sulfur, and there is never any rot or mold on them. I always eat with pleasure, no infections. Eat the soap yourself, it is now produced with aromas and tastes, probably nothing either
Are there those who love Africans and give birth to their children???The other day at the CDC at the Republic of Dagestan I saw a White Russian and a black woman at a geneticist???but that’s a bad thing for you, but there are those who don’t.
Never washed or washed and...alive!
Everyone is alive for the time being
That's why I see that there is almost always a discount on dates. And even so they are cheaper than all dried fruits. Maybe they shouldn’t be imported at all if there’s such a problem. And there is no point in poisoning our people. It's time to choose really high-quality products from other countries and not chase after cheapness, otherwise soon there will be no one to eat all this, we'll all take a break.
This is why they import our berries and eat them. Otherwise we’ll definitely take a break
and what is the taste like after washing?? not at all..
Don't be afraid to pour boiling water on it. They will soften, but then they will dry out and become the same as before. Tested many times. No soap needed.
?Is it okay that after all the manipulations in the video, washing with lemon juice, drying with a napkin, the “craftswoman” put the washed dates in the same, unwashed packaging?))) It’s useful to be friends with logic...☝️
If you go into detail about how bread is baked, you will also have to give it up... so think about it!???
Exactly!
With every use
I had date poisoning. Now I know why.
If “poisoning” (who made the diagnosis?) happens often, you need to find out the cause, and not point at the first suspected product
yeahhhh
That is, we take out dirty dates, wash them, and put clean ones in a dirty package? Or does the packaging of dates not get dirty and not treated with chemicals???
All fruits that come to us in Russia from neighboring countries or beyond are processed so that they do not spoil, and no one cares about how you and I will use them and never has. Whether it be dates, kiwis, or tangerines or lemons or raisins... it is always the buyer himself who decides: To wash or not to wash, eat this fruit raw, or fry it over a fire, or soak it in a washing machine. Thanks to these fruits, you and I learned their value, their usefulness and their harmfulness. But I repeat, it all depends on the person himself.
complete nonsense, damn the author
I pour boiling water over the dates and nuts
Every day on an empty stomach I eat 5 dates and put it in it for a few minutes.
So many stages of product baiting! It’s wiser to give them up altogether! Previously, we lived without them and did not suffer at all. Needed where was born
I lived in Uzbekistan, I ate without any washing, I live in the North and I also eat all the time, I never had any health problems, nonsense.
This is why they import our berries and eat them.Otherwise we’ll definitely take a break
Why is it so difficult to wash it? Even with soap. Personally, I always wash purchased vegetables and fruits with soap. And you don’t have to give up anything - everything that is sold in stores is treated with chemicals, then feed on solar energy or the holy spirit, if it’s easier for you to give up than to wash it. And those who don’t wash and say that they are alive and well, it’s because there is not the right amount of chemicals that kills right away. It will accumulate and cause any mutations. And by the way, it wouldn’t hurt to donate blood for hepatitis - I know for sure that, for example, dried apricots, which are from Central Asia, so that they look beautiful and do not spoil, are poured with their own urine, and there is a lot of hepatitis there.
Well, why are you chasing “urine”...
Without the sun you will die, without the spirit you are a robot, and therefore a robot does not need sunlight.
What a fool you are.
“...for example, dried apricots, which are from Central Asia, so that they look beautiful and do not spoil, are watered with their own urine...” - The recipe for eternal youth has been discovered!
The author has gone crazy... where can I find so much time... to wash off the “dirt” with a sponge or even a toothbrush... what nonsense! Wash it like you wash it and you will be happy!
Still in bleach, it would be nice for a couple of hours!
Exactly! I salt them and then you see there is chlorine, NaCl
I’ve never washed dates, I’ve never had an infection, but I read that if you eat only dates on an uninhabited island, you won’t get sick with anything, they contain all the useful vitamins
It’s a lie about urine. Urine is an alkali, and it’s terribly smelly, over time it becomes, and corrodes everything.
Definitely - MUST WASH!!! Adults are talking nonsense, even children understand that everything that goes into the mouth must be clean! Who do you want there - the Africans will wash you out?
Sugar syrup is processed because then my teeth ache from them. And if you wash it, even in a basin, even individually, then everything is fine.
Exactly! I salt them and then you see there is chlorine, NaCl
dirt and infections remain under the new coating. in the USSR=there was no information, but there were poisonings→♣♣♣
I will definitely wash it. I don’t see any difficulty in washing dates before eating. I wash all other vegetables and fruits too.