（本文為作者原創，未經授權禁止轉載，禁止商用，侵權必追究法律責任）
椰棗是一種原産于中東，北非一代的美味水果，雖然都有個“棗”字，但是它與中國的紅棗可謂千差萬别。
紅棗為鼠李科棗族棗屬植物，椰棗為棕榈科刺葵族刺葵屬植物，關系可謂八竿子打不着，親緣低至0%；
叫法方面，椰棗英文裡叫做“dates”，紅棗……由于西方十分罕見，基本上很少被提及，它的英文叫做"jujube"；而在西班牙文裡面，隻有椰棗的名詞，沒有紅棗的名詞。
椰棗營養豐富，非常推薦大部分人食用，但是在吃之前，您需要了解關于這種水果的一些常識。本文将從它的品種，儲存方法到營養價值，為您一一介紹椰棗。
椰棗是什麼？What Are Dates ？
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!
好問題！ 椰棗是一種核果，這意味着它有一個種子（核），周圍是一個外層肉質的水果（如桃子、芒果和橄榄）。 它們生長在棗椰樹上，是以你通常會在椰子樹上想象成百上千個棗子的大串！
椰棗的曆史 History Of Dates
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.
椰棗的曆史要追溯到很久以前。 根據化石，就像 5000 萬年前一樣。 我們人類很快就在美索不達米亞了解到了椰棗的魔法，從那時起，椰棗在那些地區（伊拉克、中東、北非）一直很受歡迎。 埃及是當今最大的棗生産國，幾乎所有其他中東國家都緊随其後。
椰棗怎樣挑？How To Choose Dates？
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!
但是當然了，一個不斷全球化的世界，意味着現在幾乎每個人都可以吃到一些美味的椰棗。 我們可以在一些散裝食品區發現它們，與農産品一起，并與許多雜貨中的其他耐貯存食品一起裝袋或裝箱。買的時候要選擇有光澤、完整且不太硬的椰棗。 如果表面有皺紋，請不要擔心，這是正常的！
椰棗的不同種類 Variations Of Dates
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”.
世界各地種植了大約一百萬零一個品種的棗，但在美國，你會發現大多出售的是豐滿而嫩的Medjool棗。 還有細長的 Deglet Noor椰棗，據說是“椰棗之王”。
如何儲藏椰棗 How To Store Dates
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.
儲存在密閉容器中，可以在冰箱中（最多一年）或在室溫下（幾個月）。但實際上大部分椰棗的保存期限比這要久很多。
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.
他們怎麼能保持這麼長時間？ 這是因為椰棗的水分含量是所有水果中最低的，隻有 30%，這意味着它們是自然脫水的！ 随着時間的流逝，棗中的糖分會逐漸移到表面，形成小白點。 不要擔心，這些不是模具。
椰棗的營養價值 Date Nutrition Information
Calories卡路裡: 277
Carbohydrates碳水化合物: 75g
Fiber纖維: 7g, 27% Daily Value每日攝入量 (DV)
Protein蛋白質: 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 鉀：參與無數過程的關鍵礦物質和電解質，包括健康的神經系統功能和心髒和肌肉的收縮。
15% DV of Manganese: A trace element that plays a role in healthy brain and nervous system function.
15% DV 錳：一種微量元素，對健康的大腦和神經系統功能起作用。
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 鎂：一種礦物質，除了參與體内 300 多種反應外，還在骨骼形成和維持中發揮重要作用。
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 的維生素 B6（吡哆醇）：一種水溶性維生素，在您體内的許多重要反應中作為輔酶發揮作用，包括蛋白質代謝和紅細胞形成，以及無數其他功能。
關于椰棗的冷知識
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.
椰棗在伊斯蘭教中是一種特殊的水果，因為先知穆罕默德提到棗子是來自天園的水果。 椰棗也是齋月期間穆斯林的一種主食。
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.
建議吃三顆棗作為聖行開齋。 《古蘭經》中一共提到 22 次椰棗，這一事實也支援這一點。 事實上，伊斯蘭教認為椰棗對健康有很多好處。