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椰枣是一种原产于中东，北非一代的美味水果，虽然都有个“枣”字，但是它与中国的红枣可谓千差万别。

红枣为鼠李科枣族枣属植物，椰枣为棕榈科刺葵族刺葵属植物，关系可谓八竿子打不着，亲缘低至0%；

叫法方面，椰枣英文里叫做“dates”，红枣……由于西方十分罕见，基本上很少被提及，它的英文叫做"jujube"；而在西班牙文里面，只有椰枣的名词，没有红枣的名词。

椰枣营养丰富，非常推荐大部分人食用，但是在吃之前，您需要了解关于这种水果的一些常识。本文将从它的品种，储存方法到营养价值，为您一一介绍椰枣。

Great questions! A date is a stone fruit, meaning it has a single seed surrounded by an outer fleshy fruit (like peaches, mangoes, and olives). They’re grown on date palm trees, so where you would usually invision coconuts, picture big bunches of hundreds of dates!

好问题！ 椰枣是一种核果，这意味着它有一个种子（核），周围是一个外层肉质的水果（如桃子、芒果和橄榄）。 它们生长在枣椰树上，所以你通常会在椰子树上想象成百上千个枣子的大串！

And they go way back. Like 50 million years back, according to fossils. Us humans quickly learned of their magic back in Mesopotamia, and the date has remained popular in that region (Iraq, Middle East, Northern Africa) ever since. Egypt is the largest producer of dates today, followed by just about every other Middle Eastern country.

椰枣的历史要追溯到很久以前。 根据化石，就像 5000 万年前一样。 我们人类很快就在美索不达米亚了解到了椰枣的魔法，从那时起，椰枣在那些地区（伊拉克、中东、北非）一直很受欢迎。 埃及是当今最大的枣生产国，几乎所有其他中东国家都紧随其后。

But of course, an ever-globalizing world means just about everyone can get their hands on some tasty dates nowadays. I’ve found them in the bulk foods section, with the produce, and bagged or boxed with other shelf-stable foods in many groceries. Choose dates that are shiny, unbroken, and not too hard. Don’t worry if they’re wrinkly, that’s normal!

但是当然了，一个不断全球化的世界，意味着现在几乎每个人都可以吃到一些美味的椰枣。 我们可以在一些散装食品区发现它们，与农产品一起，并与许多杂货中的其他耐贮存食品一起装袋或装箱。买的时候要选择有光泽、完整且不太硬的椰枣。 如果表面有皱纹，请不要担心，这是正常的！

There are about a million and one varieties of dates grown around the world, but in the U.S. you’ll mostly find the plump and tender Medjool Dates. There’s also the slender Deglet Noor Date, supposedly the “Queen of Dates”.

世界各地种植了大约一百万零一个品种的枣，但在美国，你会发现大多出售的是丰满而嫩的Medjool枣。 还有细长的 Deglet Noor椰枣，据说是“椰枣之王”。

Store in an airtight container either in the fridge (up to a year) or at room temperature (a few months).But in reality most dates have a much longer shelf life than that.

储存在密闭容器中，可以在冰箱中（最多一年）或在室温下（几个月）。但实际上大部分椰枣的保质期比这要久很多。

How can they stay good for this long? Dates have the lowest moisture content of any whole fruit, only 30%, meaning they’re naturally dehydrated! As they age, the sugars in the date will gradually move to the surface, forming little sugar white spots. Fret not, these are not mold.

他们怎么能保持这么长时间？ 这是因为椰枣的水分含量是所有水果中最低的，只有 30%，这意味着它们是自然脱水的！ 随着时间的流逝，枣中的糖分会逐渐移到表面，形成小白点。 不要担心，这些不是模具。

Calories卡路里: 277

Carbohydrates碳水化合物: 75g

Fiber纤维: 7g, 27% Daily Value每日摄入量 (DV)

Protein蛋白质: 2g

Fat脂肪: 0g

20% DV of Potassium: A key mineral and electrolyte involved in countless processes, including healthy nervous system functioning and contraction of the heart and muscles.

20% DV 钾：参与无数过程的关键矿物质和电解质，包括健康的神经系统功能和心脏和肌肉的收缩。

15% DV of Manganese: A trace element that plays a role in healthy brain and nervous system function.

15% DV 锰：一种微量元素，对健康的大脑和神经系统功能起作用。

14% DV of Magnesium: A mineral that plays a large role in bone formation and maintenance in addition to being a part of over 300 reactions within the body.

14% DV 镁：一种矿物质，除了参与体内 300 多种反应外，还在骨骼形成和维持中发挥重要作用。

14% DV of Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine): A water-soluble vitamin that works behind the scenes as a coenzyme in many important reactions within your body, including protein metabolism and red blood cell formation, among countless other functions.

14% DV 的维生素 B6（吡哆醇）：一种水溶性维生素，在您体内的许多重要反应中作为辅酶发挥作用，包括蛋白质代谢和红细胞形成，以及无数其他功能。

Dates are special fruit in Islam as it is mentioned by the Prophet Muhammad that dates are fruit from paradise. Dates are also a kind of staple fruit of Muslim during Ramadhan.

椰枣在伊斯兰教中是一种特殊的水果，因为先知穆罕默德提到枣子是来自天园的水果。 椰枣也是斋月期间穆斯林的一种主食。

It is suggested to eat three pieces of dates to break their fast as Sunnah. It is also supported by the fact that dates mentioned 22 times in the Quran. In facts, there are many health benefits of dates in Islam.

建议吃三颗枣作为圣行开斋。 《古兰经》中一共提到 22 次椰枣，这一事实也支持这一点。 事实上，伊斯兰教认为椰枣对健康有很多好处。