Date and Nut Pie – Hilwat Tamar

posted on: Oct 21, 2025

By: Habeeb Salloum/Arab America Contributing Writer

Historians have theorized that perhaps 7,000 years ago the date palm was first cultivated in the Arabian Peninsula. This origin is supported by the name itself.  Although most European languages derive the name of dates from the Greek daktylos, Hilda Sion in her excellent book, the Desert Palm, Bread of the Desert, suggests that the name could have come from the Arabic daqlan (seedling).  Others have indicated that the Greek daktylos is derived from the Arabic daql, a type of date.  The Arab origin of this historic tree makes it quite certain that daqlan or daql passed through Latin to become the name for dates in the European languages.  Portuguese was an exception.  The Arabic name for ripe dates, tamar became tâmara, the Portuguese name for dates. 

From its native Arabia, the cultivation of the date palm spread to the Fertile Crescent. Written records by the Sumerians, Assyrians and Babylonians, found on clay tablets, describe this majestic tree and its fruit.  Murals depicting palms from the days of these civilizations have been uncovered which depict how dates were well known in the days of antiquity.

1/2 cup blanched almonds, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup walnuts, broken into small pieces

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 cups half and half cream

1-pound dates, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon orange blossom water (mazahar)

2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

In a bowl, mix together the almonds, walnuts and sugar, then set aside.

In a heavy frying pan, melt the butter, then stir in the cream, dates, cinnamon and orange blossom water.

Sauté over low heat until the dates become soft, stirring occasionally to make sure the dates do not stick, adding a little more cream if necessary.

Stir in the nut mixture, then sauté for a further 3 minutes.

Spread evenly in a 8-inch pie pan, then bake in a 300^o F preheated oven for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the sesame seed and allow to cool, then cut into small pie type wedges.