Dibis

Ingredients

Syrup

• 2 kgdried dates, pitted
• 3 litreswater

To serve

• tahini
• flatbread

Directions

1. Use soft, ripe dried dates. Hard or over-dried ones give both a poor yield and a flat, thin syrup.
2. Rinse the dates, pit them, and put them in a large pot with the water.
3. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 hour, mashing them against the side of the pot with a spoon as they soften.
4. Take the pot off the heat and let the whole thing steep for another hour, which draws considerably more sugar out of the flesh.
5. Strain through a colander first, pressing hard on the pulp, then again through muslin.
6. Squeeze the muslin hard, then squeeze it again. The last pressing carries a surprising amount of the sugar, and this is where most of the yield is won or lost.
7. Return the strained liquid to a wide pan and simmer, uncovered, for 2 to 3 hours, skimming the foam off during the first half hour.
8. Reduce it until it is dark, thick and heavily coats the back of a spoon, at roughly a fifth of its original volume.
9. Test it by dropping a little onto a cold plate. It should be about as thick as honey once cool.
10. Do not take it further than that. Boiled past the point it turns bitter and sets hard in the jar.
11. Pour it hot into sterilised jars, where it keeps for a year.
12. Stir it into tahini in roughly equal parts for dibis w’rashi, or drizzle it over warm flatbread, which is how it is eaten in Iraq.

Technique

• It is pressed from the date groves of Basra, and Iraq’s palm orchards, once the largest in the world, were devastated by decades of war.
• A wide pan reduces faster and more evenly than a deep one, which matters over three hours.
• It is used as a sweetener in cooking as well as a spread, and it is markedly less sweet and more savoury than sugar syrup.

Substitutions

• Fresh dates, which need less water and less time.
• Shop-bought date syrup, which is widely sold and perfectly good.

Variations

• Dibis w’rashi, mixed half and half with tahini for breakfast.
• Used in place of sugar in cakes and biscuits.
• Thinned with water and drunk as a hot winter drink.

History

Pressed from the date groves of Basra; Iraq’s palm orchards, once the world’s largest, were devastated by war.

Frequently asked questions

What is Dibis?

Dibis is a sauce & condiment from Iraq: dark date syrup, stirred into tahini or drizzled over bread. Pressed from the date groves of Basra; Iraq’s palm orchards, once the world’s largest, were devastated by war.

How long does Dibis take to make?

Dibis takes 20 min of preparation and 4 hr of cooking. The recipe makes about 700 ml. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Dibis?

Yes, within limits. Fresh dates, which need less water and less time. Shop-bought date syrup, which is widely sold and perfectly good.

What is the most important thing to get right in Dibis?

Take the pot off the heat and let the whole thing steep for another hour, which draws considerably more sugar out of the flesh.