Date honey, date syrup, date molasses, Debes (Arabic: دِبس, pronounced [Dibss] or rub (Arabic: رُب, pronounced [rubb]; Hebrew: דְּבַשׁ dvash or סילאן, silan; Persian: شیره خرما) is a thick dark brown, very sweet fruit syrup extracted from dates. It is widely used in Middle Eastern cooking.
Date syrup is rich in the monosaccharides glucose and fructose,[1] 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 disaccharides.[citation needed] Date syrup is higher in magnesium and potassium than some natural sweeteners such as maple syrup and honey and so has been a popular alternative to sugar in recent years.[2] It is also rich in antioxidants due to its high phenolic and flavonoid content[3][4][5] and has been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory activity.[6][7]
It is used widely in Libya, usually with asida, a porridge-like dessert.
In Iranian, Iraqi and Israeli cuisine, date syrup is used to sweeten tahini, consumed at breakfast. An alternative is grape syrup.
In Israeli cuisine, Date Syrup is used for flavoring chicken and potatoes by rubbingit in the syrup mixed with cardamom, salt and olive oil, and then rolled it in sesame before frying in olive or baking it in the oven as a whole it is also used as a sauce for stuffed vegetables such as onions and turnips and as an igredient in a semolina cake called basbousa, which gives the cake an honey type of taste.
