Ingredients
Dates
- fresh dates, at the rutab stage
- picked the same day if possible
- or fresh dates from a good shop
To drink with them
- fresh camel milk
- or zrig, sweetened thinned milk
- green tea, three glasses
Zrig
- 1 litrecamel or goat milk
- 500 mlwater
- 3 tablespoonssugar
Sometimes eaten with
- fresh butter
- flat bread
- cold water
Directions
- Rinse them briefly in cold water. Pat them dry on a clean cloth. Serve them whole in a large bowl. Fresh dates do not keep like dried ones.
- Keep them refrigerated in a closed box. Freezing is the standard way to keep them.
- Mix the milk together with the water. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved.
- Serve the zrig very cold indeed. The pouring is done from a height to foam it.
- Pile them into a large shared bowl. Set out a dish for the stones.
- Serve zrig or camel milk alongside. The season ends when the dates are done.
- Spread them in the sun to dry. Dried dates keep a year or more.
Technique
- Guetna is a season rather than a dish, falling in July and August, when whole families travel to the palm groves of Adrar and Tagant and camp among the palms for weeks to harvest, eat and visit each other.
- Dates pass through kimri, khalal, rutab and tamr stages; most dates sold abroad are the fully dried tamr, while guetna is about the crisp khalal and soft juicy rutab stages, which taste nothing like dried dates and do not ship easily.
- Fresh camel milk is often drunk unpasteurised, and raw milk can carry brucellosis, which is documented from camel milk; boiling prevents it, and anyone pregnant or immunocompromised should avoid raw milk.
Substitutions
- Fresh dates from a good shop stand in where a grove is not to hand.
- Goat or cow milk replaces camel milk for zrig.
Variations
- Khalal dates are eaten crisp and rutab dates soft, and both are eaten in the season.
- Zrig, thinned sweetened milk, is the standard drink alongside.
- Surplus dates are dried in the sun to keep for the year.
History
During guetna, families leave the towns for the palm groves of Adrar and Tagant and live for weeks on fresh dates and camel milk.
Frequently asked questions
What is Guetna dates?
Guetna dates is a snack from Mauritania: fresh oasis dates eaten by the handful during the summer date harvest. During guetna, families leave the towns for the palm groves of Adrar and Tagant and live for weeks on fresh dates and camel milk.
How long does Guetna dates take to make?
Guetna dates takes 10 minutes of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes serves any number. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Guetna dates?
Yes, within limits. Fresh dates from a good shop stand in where a grove is not to hand. Goat or cow milk replaces camel milk for zrig.
What is the most important thing to get right in Guetna dates?
Rinse them briefly in cold water. Pat them dry on a clean cloth. Serve them whole in a large bowl. Fresh dates do not keep like dried ones.
