Date Cultivation in Dar Al-Manasir - Meals and Beverages

Meals and Beverages

The date fruit is nutritious, sweet and can easily be stored all year long. The Manasir believe that human beings can survive for years if they just have enough dates and water. The Bedouin Manasir alternatively call dates al-Zad al-negidh (الزاد النجيض) with the meaning of "the 'real' food for travelling".

Dry dates are washed, moistened in water and offered in-between and following the two daily meals. Date fruits constitute the traditional substitute for sugar and are consumed with tea.

The Manasir kitchen also uses dates for the following dishes:

• Madidah Balah (مديدة بلح) is a date pudding. The dates are boiled until they thicken and subsequently are let to cool. Butter can be added on top.
• Kurasah al-Balah (كراسة البلح) is a simple dish that consists of the traditional fresh bread called Kurasah topped with small pieces of dates. It can be kept for a few days and is used by the Bedouin Manasir as a sweat bread for travel.
• 'Barbur' (بربور) is the traditional diet for women during the first three days after having given birth. No other meals are allowed in order to "let the blood out". Pieces of dried dates are boiled in water until they develop a consistency between pudding and soup.

During festivals alcoholic beverages made from dates have been consumed traditionally:

• Sharbut (شربوت) is a common date wine. The dates are soaked in water and are fermented in a closed up Sir (cf. Material Culture of the Manasir) for three to fifteen days.
• Nabid (نبيد): The Nabid is a stronger variety of Sharbut. A handful of sorghum grains that have just reached the stage of sprouting are dried in the sun and added to the young Sharbut as a substitute for yeast.
• Baqaniah (بقنية) is a date beer. Small dried sprouting seeds of sorghum are mixed with dates and are laid out on a watered Birsh (cf. Material Culture of the Manasir). After a couple of days the Birsh is strained and the resulting liquid is cooled in a Sir. The drink is considered halaal (حلال) and given to ailing old people.