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The Date Palm Tree... Dates have been a staple food of the Middle East and the Indus Valley for thousands of years. The date palm is dioecious, having separate male and female plants. They can be easily grown from seed, but only 50 percent of seedlings will be female. Dates ripen in four stages, which are known throughout the world by their Arabic names kimri (unripe), khlal (full-size, crunchy), rutab (ripe, soft), tamr (ripe, sun-dried). Dates are an important traditional crop in Iraq, Arabia, and north Africa west to Morocco. Dates are also mentioned more than 50 times in the Bible and 20 times in the Qur'an. In Islamic culture, dates and yogurt or milk are traditionally the first foods consumed for Iftar after the sun has set during Ramadan. Date palms can take 4 to 8 years after planting before they will bear fruit. The bunches of dates must be thinned and bagged or covered before ripening so that the remaining Dates fruits grow larger and are protected from weather and pests such as birds.