Have you ever wondered what the difference is between Yellow Barhi Dates and Brown Barhi Dates? Shockingly, these two varieties are the same type of date. The difference between the two lies in what stage their ripeness is at!
Organic Yellow Barhi Dates are a delicious date variety that is unique in color, taste, and appearance from other varieties and is sought after by date aficionados. These dates are shipped attached to the vine and are often compared to apples, coconut, or sugarcane. You will find that Yellow Barhi Dates have a short shelf life; therefore, are only available when they are picked fresh off the vine during their harvest season in the beginning of August to September. With an increased moisture level, they are found to be more fresh and ripe than a Brown Barhi Date. Barhi Dates are one of the few varieties of dates that can be eaten at their Khalal stage of ripeness which makes Yellow Barhi Dates a luxury that is hard to come by.
All dates goes through five main stages of growth throughout their lifetime. The first stage is called Hababauk, which is where the female flower is first pollinated and the date is still a small seed. The second stage is the Kimri stage which is the first 17 weeks after pollination. During this stage, the dates are green, hard, and very bitter. They also have the highest acidity and the highest moisture content (80% moisture). Many farmers will remove 60-70% of the fruit from the palm during this time in order to allow the dates left on the tree to get the most amount of nutrients and grow even larger!
The next stage is the Khalal stage which is the stage when Yellow Barhi is harvested! This is why Yellow Barhi Dates are also known as Khalal Barhi Dates! At this stage, they become yellow and the sugar content begins to increase. They have a high moisture content and are still hard which gives them the crunchy apple-like texture when you bite into them.
After the Khalal stage is the Rutab stage where the yellow color begins to fade to brown in an ombre fashion. They begin to lose their moisture content which makes them softer and sweeter. Dates in this stage are also known as “wet dates” because they are very juicy, tender, and delicate.
The Tamar stage, which is the final stage, is the stage that most people are used to seeing when they think of a date. During this stage, the dates have the lowest moisture content which gives them a naturally dried, wrinkled appearance. They have the highest sugar content which makes them sweet, delicious, and a terrific natural substitute for processed sugar!
Try both Yellow Barhi Dates and the Brown Barhi Dates to see which date variety is for you!
