Date honey

Date honey, date syrup, date molasses or rub (Arabic: رُب‎‎, [rubb]) is a thick dark brown, very sweet fruit syrup extracted from dates. It is widely used in North African and Middle Eastern cooking.

It is used widely in Libya, usually with asida.

It is used in Israel, under the name silan (Hebrew and Judeo-Iraqi Arabic: סילאן, pronounced [silan]), as a Dip for bread, in pastries, as a topping for malabi, to cook sweet chicken dish then rolled with a sesame or nuts which is served as a meze in southern and eastern parts of the country, it is also halik (similar to haroset) for Passover.

The "honey" in the Biblical reference of “a land flowing with milk and honey” (for example, Exod 3:8) is date honey.

In Iranian cuisine, date syrup (in Persian: شیره خرما‎‎) is used to sweeten ardeh (tahini), consumed at breakfast. An alternative is grape syrup.

Date syrup is rich in the monosacchirides glucose and fructose, and so most of its sugar content is absorbed into the bloodstream in the mouth, meaning that it raises the blood glucose levels more efficiently and immediately than other syrups. It is therefore highly suitable for people suffering from hypoglycaemia, or for those with sucrose intolerance or those with pancreatic problems who have difficulty absorbing disacchirides.