Dates are grouped into three variety types: semi-soft, soft and dry or bread dates:

  • Semi-soft

    Semi-dry dates have firmer flesh and relatively lower moisture and a high sugar content. Deglet Noor and Zahidi are the most popular California Date semi-dry varieties. Although the total sugars in the semi-dry dates are approximately equal to those in the softer dates, the sugars have not fully inverted. Rather, the semi-dry dates contain about 50% inverted sugars and 50% sucrose. Since they are firmer, semi-dry dates can be harvested mechanically, can be processed successfully, and can be held in moisture-proof packaging with little deterioration.

  • Soft

    Soft dates have a soft flesh, high moisture content and relatively low sugar containing fully inverted sugars and are the most perishable. Familiar varieties are Khadrawy, Halawy and Medjool. Since these varieties are fragile, they must be manually harvested, carefully handled and kept refrigerated to prevent deterioration.

  • Dry or Bread

    Dry dates have high sugar content, very low moisture and dry, hard flesh and are not commercially grown in California.

Dates ripen or cure in stages:

Varieties

Medjools

Deglet Noor

Zahidi

Barhi

Khadrawy

Halawy

Other Varieties

Black Dates

Thoory

Empress

Honey

Dayri

Maktoom

Sayer

Amir Haji

Iteema

Hayany