Ruṭabiyah-Made of Dates

posted on: Aug 26, 2026

By: Habeeb Salloum/Arab America Contributing Writer

The importance of dates in the diet of the Bedouin – a diet eaten for centuries in the Arabian Peninsula, led the Bedouin to call dates ‘the bread of the desert’. 

            Dates are exceedingly rich and nourishing, and their importance as part of healthy and natural eating has long been recognized among the Arabs as a near miracle food.

            From the basic cuisine of the desert, dates travelled with the Arabs to the dining tables of the caliphs becoming part of the regal gastronomy of the royal kitchens. 

            Muhammad ibn Hassan al-Baghdadi in his early 13^th century Kitab al-Ṭabikh cookbook includes a dish prepared with dates and lamb which I have redacted into a modern version of the recipe.  In the words of one of my guests, it is a unique dish where entrée and dessert come together as one.

Serves 6-8

1/4 cup olive oil

1 lb. lamb, sliced in about 4-inch long, thin strips

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. ground coriander

1/3 cup almonds, coarsely ground

1/3 cup pistachios, coarsely ground

pinch of saffron

1 1/2 tsp. cumin

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

pinch of mastic

1 lb. finely ground lamb

48 whole blanched almonds

32 Mejdoul dates, pitted

2 tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. crushed dried mint

2 tbsp. rosewater

            Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium.  Add the lamb strips and sprinkle with 1 tsp. of the salt and 1/2 tsp. of the coriander. Stir-fry until the meat lightly browns then cover with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil, removing the scum as it gathers.  

Stir in the almonds, pistachios, saffron, 3/4 tsp. of the cumin, 3/4 tsp. of the cinnamon, mastic and 1/2 tsp. of the coriander.  Remove from the heat.

            In a mixing bowl, combine the ground lamb and the remaining salt, coriander, the cumin, and cinnamon and mix together well.  Form into 16 long kebabs inserting 1 blanched almond into each.

Carefully add the kebabs to the saucepan and return to the heat.  Cook uncovered over medium/low heat for 30 minutes.  Turn the kebabs over and cook 30 minutes more or until most of the liquid has evaporated and the meat is done.

While the meat is cooking, prepare the dates by placing one almondinside each.  Once the meat is cooked, place the dates evenly over the top of the meat then sprinkle evenly with the sugar, mint and rosewater. 

Turn off the heat, cover, and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

From Scheherazade’s Feasts: Foods of the Medieval Arab World (University of Pennsylvania Press: Philadelphia, 2013) by Habeeb Salloum, Leila Salloum Elias and Muna Salloum

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