Alternative sugars have found their way onto supermarket shelves. One newcomer deserves our attention: date sugar is an ingredient worth discovering.
Date sugar: an option for your recipes
It is made solely from dehydrated, finely ground dates. It is also untreated and unrefined, unlike some other sweeteners such as agave syrup.
It resembles brown sugar, but has a rounder, softer appearance. Its date flavour is light and subtle.
Its sweetening power also means that only two-thirds as much date sugar is needed for a given amount of white sugar.
The date in tradition
First, it is important to recall the place of the date in Islam. As illustrated by Allah’s words in Surah Maryam, verse 25: ‘Shake the trunk of the palm tree towards you. It will drop fresh, ripe dates upon you.’
We also have the words of the Prophet ﷺ in Sahih Muslim: ‘A house in which there are no dates is a house whose inhabitants are hungry.’
Date sugar: the star of natural sugars
If you love dates, you can now enjoy them in sugar form. It is perfect for sweetening drinks or making pastries, easily replacing conventional carbohydrates .
Its many uses will make it the star of your kitchen. Sprinkle it over yoghurt or other desserts, or add it to meat dishes for even more flavour. It pairs beautifully with all kinds of spices, such as cinnamon.
In short, once you try it, you will want to keep using it.