Doum fruit

What it is

Doum fruits are round, oval or pear-shaped, about 4.5–9 cm (1.8–3.5 in) long. Their smooth outer skin ranges from yellow-brown through orange and red to dark reddish brown. Beneath it sits a thin layer of dry, fibrous pulp around a hard inner shell, usually enclosing one seed.

The gingerbread comparison belongs to the edible pulp. Some trees produce sweet fruit, while the pulp of others is inedible.

Where it comes from

Doum grows across the African Sahel and beside rivers and oases. It also grows in Egypt, the Arabian Peninsula and western India. The palm has a long place in Egyptian life: it was cultivated in ancient Egypt and considered sacred.

How it's eaten where it grows

In Egypt, doum juice is a Ramadan drink. One preparation gently heats ground doum with sugar, adds water, then chills the drink. Another starts with pieces of fruit soaked in water for at least six hours, then warmed, sweetened and strained. Doum with milk takes a different route: ground fruit and sugar go into hot milk, and the drink is served hot.

The dry pulp also becomes syrup or is ground into meal for cakes and sweets. It can be cut into slices, or pounded into a powder that is dried and added to food as a flavouring.

How it's grown

The palm’s trunk forks into a Y, then forks again, making as many as sixteen leafy crowns. Large fan-shaped leaves sit at the tips of the branches. Male and female flowers grow on separate trees, and wind carries the pollen.

New palms grow from seeds or shoots around the base. They withstand drought and some salt in the soil, but stagnant water does not suit them.

When and where you'll find it

In Sudan, doum palms usually fruit from November onward. Across the palm’s range, gathered fruits are sold in towns, and the pulp reaches kitchens as slices or powder. In Egypt, ready-made doum juice is another way to encounter the fruit: iSiS Organic makes a version alongside its other fruit drinks.