Field guide · Autumn (imported)

Date

Tâmara, dátil, dattero. Europe has one great date-palm grove — the UNESCO-listed palmeral at Elche, the largest on the continent — and almost none of the dates sold here come from it; they arrive from North Africa and the Gulf. What actually varies between them is dryness rather than sweetness: Medjool soft and heavy and caramel-tasting, Deglet Nour firmer and drier and better in cooking. Sugar crystallising out on the skin means old. Simplest thing to do with it: split it, pull the stone, and press an almond or a curl of hard cheese into the gap.

Noted 2026-07-26