As many people already know, there was a thriving spice trade to Europe going back to antiquity. By the Middle Ages, thanks in part to the crusades, Europeans (or at least, the nobility and bourgeoisie) could regularly enjoy cinnamon, pepper, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, and many other imported spices. These all figure prominently in Medieval recipe books.
How about dates—when were these commonly available in Europe to those who could afford them? Note that I’m speaking of the fruit, not the entire plant—I’m aware that date trees can grow in southern Europe, but as far as I know the climate there doesn’t allow them to bear fruit. Dates preserve well and so can be transported for long distances. Was there a thriving trade in dates or other exotic dried fruits? What are the oldest recorded European recipes that call for dates?
They were present by at least Roman times. Which makes sense, since Rome controlled vast swathes of territory where dates were a staple crop. The Romans also seemed to have used date palms as decorative garden plants, even though they weren’t productive in Italy.
It seems highly likely they were a luxury import well before that. The word Phoenician derives from a Greek word that variously was used to mean the colors purple or crimson, but also “date palm.” The Phoenicians certainly cultivated them, it is probable they exported them as well.
Interesting. Did they remain available in southern Europe after the fall of Rome? Or were they ever available in northern Europe? I’d be curious to know of the earliest recipe in the English-speaking world that calls for dates.
Yes, for sure. The Mediterranean Sea has always been criss-crossed by busy trading routes, and the ports along its shores were linked to each other by trading ships. It is hard to believe that a fruit that is plentiful in North Africa should be unknown at least in those coastal regions of Southern Europe.
Also note that a major part of South-Western Europe, namely Spain, was, for centuries, controlled by Arabs, who brought their own nutritional habits with them to the country.
For what it’s worth, Shakespeare mentions them in Romeo and Juliet (c. 1594) and The Winter’s Tale (c. 1610), both times in the general context of “food you’d serve at a fancy party.”
By the way, lest someone steals this opportunity for a lame joke:
“I’m European, and I’ve always had trouble getting dates.”
By what date were Europeans able to buy dates for their dates?
Jeez, English sucks :p.
This thread has disappointed me in 2 completely different ways.
There is a very good recent overview article here(which is unfortunately behind a paywall).
In short, date is present in Europe north of the Alps only in association with the Romans and stops around the time of the division of Empire. Finds are quite rare and tend to be in sacred and ritual contexts, including in burials and in higher status places. Its author, Alexandra Livarda, concludes it was likely to be mainly a symbolic, high-status ceremonial food rather than being an element of diet.