In 2005, date pits excavated from the Masada fortress were revived almost miraculously by Professor Elaine Solowey of the Center for Sustainable Agriculture at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies. Read the story of the 2000-year-old date pits that sprouted under her care here. 

When we first interviewed Solowey in 2012, she was hoping to mate the male palm that sprouted – named Methusalah – with compatible female trees imported from Egypt. She didn’t expect to see fruits from Methusaleh and his green concubines for at least another ten years. But edible dates from Methusalah and Hannah, a female palm sprouted from pits of the same Judean variety, now exist.

It’s mind-blowing to realize that today, we might taste dates grown from seeds eaten and thrown away 2000 years ago. Dates that might have been eaten by Bar-Kochbah, leader of the Jewish rebellion. Or, at a different time and place, eaten by Jesus and his followers. 

Dr. Sarah Sallon, of the Natural Medicine Research Unit of Hadassah Hospital initiated the project in 2005.  The date pits, excavated from the Masada fortress in the 1960s, were lying in storage at the Bar Ilan University. Inspired to achieve the impossible, Sallon issued a challenge to attempt sprouting them. Solowey answered the challenge and succeeded in germinating one solitary seed, who grew tall and leafy – Methusalah.

Spurred by the success, Solowey and Sallon tried the experiment again. Out of 32 other excavated seeds, six sprouted, and two are female. One, named Hannah, bore 111 dates. The team at the Arava Institute tasted some, and sent the rest away for research.

Ronley Konwiser, managed a date farm some years ago and understands the pleasure of harvesting fruit:

“From 2008 to 2010 I was fortunate to be a foreman on the “Jericho Dates” plantation, which is in the Judean desert, adjacent to Jericho. 

“What I learnt from my experiences as foreman is that dates and palm trees are very special. One of the very special qualities of a date is its ability to last. Most varieties of dates are harvested off the tree already in its dry form.

“And if stored correctly, it will last and be enjoyed at any time as if it was just picked. Therefore it is not surprising, but really incredible that 2000 year old seeds that were found in the Judean desert can still be viable.”

Thanks to the vision of Drs. Solowey and Sallon, we can now hope to see a grove of Judean date palms, DNA – true descendants of the fruit that the ancients ate. Maybe in time, we’ll even shop for them at the supermarket. Incredible.

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But for westerners, freekeh is the latest in a slew of boutique grains gaining popularity as alternatives to other staples. Wheat harvested before it is completely ripe, the grain has nutritional value that far exceeds that of its more widely-known competitor – rice.

Freekeh is harvested when the yellowish kernels inside are still soft and moist.

Freekeh tastes like smoked grains

They are then stacked and left under the sun to dry, after which the freekeh grains are carefully roasted over a fire so that the shells are sloughed off (or rubbed, which is roughly how freekeh is translated from Arabic) without destroying the chewy inside.

Said to have a smoky flavor, freekeh is great as a standalone dish, or mixed with fruits and vegetables in all kinds of new, exotic combinations.

Speaking to The National, Ghina Hamoui, a nutritionist at Emirates Hospital and Cosmesurge said that freekeh has a 10 percent fiber content, virtually no fat, a decent amount of protein, and certain beneficial vitamins and minerals such as B1 and B2.

“While it should be avoided by coeliacs and people on gluten-free diets,” she told the paper.

“It has a lower glycemic index than rice which means it gives more satiety and fullness as well as raising blood sugar less.”

Sounds like the story of quinoa?

This is not the first time that a grain from the developing world has gained traction in the west – to the detriment of their producers. Quinoa, for example, is pitted as one of the best grains for heart health, but Andean farmers who have grown it for centuries can no longer afford to purchase it themselves because its popularity in the west has driven up costs.

Similarly, argan oil produced from a nut that was traditionally processed by goats and used in a variety of applications – including food and cosmetics, has become enormously popular in the west.

For now this demand has been a boon for Moroccan women who are employed to produce modern varieties of the oil, though careless management could quickly tip the scale.

Freekeh might become a more sustainable option for western foodies than other boutique grains, as several kitchens around the globe boast its unique taste and nutritional qualities.

Or it might remain hidden in dishes across Egypt, Syria and other parts of the Middle East.

Image of freekeh meal via Star Chefs

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Roughly 5,000 residents of Battir own 3,000 durnams of land on the Israeli side of the green line, but  The Rhodes Armistice Agreement of 1949 signed after the 1948 war gave Palestinians the right to continue tending their crops in the area.

“Water from natural springs burbles in the ancient Roman stone aqueduct as it carries water downward to this village’s ancient terraces. Palestinian families grow olives, cabbage and eggplant today the same way they did more than 2,000 years ago,” wrote Linda Gradstein from The Media Line.

An appeal to halt construction of the barrier was rejected, Gilat Bartana of Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME), one of the most successful environmental advocacy groups in the region, told the paper.

FoEME and the villagers each filed petitions warning that the fence would destroy the terraced land and disrupt a way of life that has persisted for hundreds of years.

The High Court of Justice evaluated the petitions last Thursday, Haaretz reports, resulting in a historic provisional ruling that protects Palestinian farmers from losing their land.

“We are convinced that due to the unique nature of the area under discussion there is a need for the security officials to reconsider, in particular as regards the nature of the barrier and security arrangements of the problematic areas,” the High Court Justices decided last week.

Israeli’s Department of Defense argued that the separation barrier is necessary to curtail terrorist activity, though villagers argue that no such need exists.

“We are delighted with the decision of the court and we trust that this time the military will reconsider security options based on the advice of heritage experts, so that the balance of interests can be drawn that both protect the integrity of the Battir landscape, and find alternative security means to a physical barrier,” said Gidon Bromberg, Israeli Director of FoEME.

FoEME, Battir and the Nature and Parks Authority have 15 days to respond to the alternative proposed by the state at the close of 90 days.

:: Haaretz

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