The date palm assumedly originates from lands around Iraq. It grows singly or forms a clump with several stems from a single root system. Date palms may reach heights of over twenty metres, with leaves of four to six metres long. The full span of the trees crown ranges from six to ten metres.

Date palms are now grown extensively under warmer climates across all the continents for its edible fruits. These are called dates. This name originates from the Greek word for finger, dáktulos, because of the fruit's elongated, oval-cylindrical shape. The ripe fruits range from bright red to bright yellow in colour, depending on variety, and contain a single stone about 2.5 cm long and 6–8 mm thick.

Dates are among the oldest cultivated fruit in the world. They are mentioned extensively in both the Bible and the Koran. Dates are very nutritious and healthy for the human body. They contain more natural sugars than any other fruits and provide a significant amount of dietary fibre, potassium, as well as various vitamins and minerals. Due to the long list of dietary advantages, dates are known as ‘the bread of the desert'.

Dry or soft dates are eaten out-of-hand, or may be pitted (known as stoned dates) and stuffed with fillings. Dates can also be used in a range of sweet and savoury dishes, from Moroccan tagines, to American date nut bread, to puddings and other dessert items. When Muslims break fast in the evening meal of Ramadan, it is traditional to eat a date first.