It is a berry of golden yellow color or reddish-brown when ripe. Its meat is soft, aromatic and sweet, with a stone inside it of elongate shape and with a longitudinal furrow. Dates are consumed fresh or dry and represent a basic food for the inhabitants of North Africa and Near East, who are the main producers.
Dried dates are sweet with a rich, intensive caramel-like taste when they fully ripen. More specifically, they feel like chocolate, with notes of cinnamon, butterscotch, and toffee.
