By The Arabs

Split date, remove seed and then fill cavity with un-salted butter. This manner of eating the date has been popular throughout the Arabic world for centuries.

Another popular combination, and used by the missionaries as well as the Arabs, is called khabis, and is a mixture of dates, butter and honey.

Sour or curdled milk in various forms is a constant accompaniment of dates. It may be from this that we get our idea of the use of cottage cheese with dates.

Fresh milk, especially that of camels, is considered a particularly fitting drink after a meal of dates.

In the Sindh desert of India, onions are considered the proper accompaniment.

In districts where locusts or grasshoppers are obtainable, these insects are roasted and pounded to a paste, together with fresh dates.

Madquqeh, a date paste, made by pounding dates with sesame oil, is used on their tasteless bread.

Dates are also used Coaked, the best being a plain fry in plenty of butter; the date for this purpose should be soft, and great care is needed to keep them from burning; but if properly prepared, they rarely fail to please the American palate.

Fresh dates are baked in the oven, sometimes basted with butter.

Another standard Arab recipe is to chop up the dates, and boil them in milk often with the addition of chopped onions and a flour thickening.

There are also many ways in which dates are used as beverages, and in the making of jams and preserves.

In the Sahara dates are added to meats, soups and stews. Are used to make syrup which sells for ten cents a quart.

Seeds are used in cookery after being softened with milk, and are also made into bread.

Paul B. Popenoe.