While I haven’t tried making anything with them yet, but I had a Raw Revolution bar today that was just dates, cashews, flax, agave, and spirulina. I’d had dates in the past before. The little rolled up coated in flour things I recall liking ok (apart from the fact they resembled rodent poop to me), but I know I’d had whole raw dates in things like the bar I ate today in the past and was kinda put off. Today just reinforced that. I nibbled maybe 1/4 of the bar and just tossed the rest, I couldn’t get over that permeating dateyness. They just taste like butt to me for some reason. Sweet and sticky, but still like butt. Like a mix of rancid molasses and rotten grapes or something.

They seem to be in SO many recipes. Is this one of those things where I can hope to acquire a taste? Have a just had them the wrong way? Are they not so permeating in some of the recipes that I might not be giving up on things due to the buttiness?

Oh my… LOL LOL LOL YOU are too funny!!!

(apart from the fact they resembled rodent poop to me), They just taste like butt to me for some reason. Sweet and sticky, but still like butt. Like a mix of rancid molasses and rotten grapes or something.

Just substitute another sweet dried fruit, one that you like… Then Branwyn, you can stay in the club… LOL

wow? even with all that other stuff in it? have you tried a plain one?

well you can certainly use another dried fruit although not many are as sticky so you may have to add more liquid.

Oh my goodness, you are hysterical! And you’re so not out of the club. I’d had the “rodent poop” looking dates when I was younger and thought they were disgusting. It wasn’t until I had fresh, plump medjool dates that I was converted. They taste like little balls of brown sugar to me! However, different varieties taste differently and you just may not like them. No big deal. Or it may have been the combination in the bar that didn’t work for you. Regardless, like Waterbaby said, you can substitute other dried fruits instead. I like plump raisins and apricots or figs, myself. They tend to not be terribly butty. hee hee! :) Have fun experimenting!

I liked dates for the first couple days of trying raw (still not 100%), but then I got sick and threw up and the last thing I had eaten was my homemade version of a lara bar. Since it was so heavy in dates, I haven’t been able to eat them since. I had the same experience with scrambled tofu, and after 3 years, I can finally eat it again, not scrambled though, lol. Maybe someday I’ll be able to eat dates again!

Lady Raven has a good point – did you try different types of dates? The Medjool ones are a lot softer (moister) and ‘brown-sugary’.

I found this comparison chart…(hope it helps rather than gross you out! – sorry if it does the latter!)

http://www.browndategarden.com/comparison.htm

then again…. you might be safest with raw raisins! ;)

I agree with greenghost.. Medjools are fanastic and posess very little “buttness”. One of my favorite quick snaks is to jam some almond or cashew butter in a pitted medjool and whap!, a super rich , sweet, satisfying, live treat!!

I use fresh dates as my sweetner, but I would not enjoy eating one on its own. It is true, the ones you see normally are gross. They have been steamed, boiled, blanched, dried, and often covered with gak (vegetable oil, glaze, etc)

The fresh ones we get have a very clean sweet taste and are unidentifiable in a recipe. Someone really should start importing them into the USA ;)

Sundried bananas are ok as a replacement but they do taste of banana. Other dried fruit is OK if it is raw and not too low quality. I guess a lot of people dry their own fruit don’t they?

I didn’t know there was a “date-liking” club! heehee Eat what appeals to you – there may be some reason your body does not want dates right now (or maybe it never will?) – I used to eat spinach, but about a year ago, I got nauseated eating it, and it seems sick to me now. Twice in the last year I have eaten a little spinach when I was at a party with limited options, but both times, I got nauseated eating the spinach. My body DOES NOT WANT IT! And I can’t get enough baby greens. :) No worries!

I never liked dates either! My mom loved medjools, so that’s the only kind I ever tried, and they just tasted terrible to me. Plus, they always gave me a stomach ache. And they always reminded me of cockroaches!

But I have discovered that I love honey dates. They’re about half the size as medjools and have a much lighter flavor. I like deglet noors ok too, but honey dates are my favorite, and they’re the only ones I really enjoy eating alone.

But since going raw, I’ve also found that I can use even medjools in a recipe and be very happy with how it turns out. Even if you don’t like them alone, you might enjoy them as a sweetener in some more complicated recipes. (Though I have to admit that I still don’t love bars made with them, or recipes in which they’re a very prominent ingredient….) Even if I have some lingering doubts, I do appreciate how handy they are!

I hate dates. I really genuinely do. Since going raw I’ve tried to take a liking to them but that definitely failed. I guess we’re both out of the club, LOL. Waterbaby-they so taste like rotten molasses grapes to me.
Even though they’re not vegan/raw I use raw honey or agave as sweetners, or fruit when I can.

I would concider yourself lucky!!
theyre SOOOOOOOO adictive if you love them – which i do!!!!

Glad I could provide some giggles. :D Truly, if you’d seen my face eating the thing, it may have provoked hysterical laughter. Thanks for assuring me I’m not kicked out of the club and giving some suggestions.

I went shopping an an AMAZING organic co-op store today and they had fresh organic raw medjools. Not coated in gak or anything. I admit I nicked one, I had to try a proper fresh date before giving up or buying them.

And I wanted to like it, I really did! I promise! It looked so plump and fresh and inviting. It did taste very much of brown sugar…but unfortunately also the same date-buttness from before, just a fresher version. Alas, all I can taste is brown sugar date butt! :p

I got a nice big bottle of agave. :)

We’re all so unique in our taste preferences, honour that and eat the foods that appeal to you. I personally don’t like bee pollen but I usually disguise the taste in my smoothies because it has so many benefits. Dates are a high gi food and if you don’t like them, don’t use them. Why not use apricots or raisins instead?

www.rawlifestyle.co.uk

Branwyn-we are just shy of the really great date season here in Ga. Even my really great organic ones are only worthy of making a date paste for sweetener right now. In about another month, they will be so soft, they fall off the pit. I’m not a fan of the Rawvolution bars, though. Pure Bars are now available at Harrys.

I tried one that hadn’t gone soft yet. It was still hard not squishy. It was like sugar cane but with out the wood. I think it would be amazing juiced. They sell them hard and yellow in the Indian shops.

they are so so in my opinion…. I like them enough plain before they are soaked, but usually if they are thrown into a recipe with other things I can’t taste them. I only ever use one or two anyway. I have seen some recipes with 8 dates plus! They are really sugary

Oh my, this is hilarious, I am so happy I am not the only one that thinks they look like bugs. I use them anyway and keep telling myself they are fruit, they ARE fruit, THEY ARE FRUIT!!!!

I believe there’s a number of substitutes for dates.

I like dates.. BUT.. I think I may be allergic to them. They tend to make my mouth and tongue kind of prickly.. kind of like pineapple, but this is different. Anyone else have this reaction to dates? (And the ones I am eating are organic, raw honey dates).

When they run out, I may just stick to agave.. maybe my body is trying to tell me something…

I seem to get the same reaction to persimmon…my mouth starts to feel like cotton balls. It’s really bizarre.

you know im not too big on dates too.. but prunes mmm.. mm.. delicious..

I ate them for a while after becoming raw, but was never crazy about them. They look ugly, they’re too heavy and far too sweet. I could get past the ugly bit if they tasted great, but they kinda make me sick! You are not alone, Branwyn.