What is the difference between Prunes and Dates?

Prunes and dates are known to look similar to each other but you should remember that they come from different fruits. Dates come from trees and prunes come from plums. One similarity that they have with each other is that they are both dried versions of the fruits that they come from.

Take note that when you refer to “dates,” this does not necessarily mean that they are dried. If you would check the taste of dates with prunes, you will notice that dates are naturally sweeter.

This is why they are used more often for baked goodies. Prunes will have a sort of sour taste. Their appearance will also be a bit different.

Prunes are fruits of belonging to the species Prunus domestica. Its cultivation originated in Asia. Prunes can be eaten fresh or dried form. The dried form is called “dried prunes.” In normal everyday usage, dried plums are also called prunes; while, dates are fruits of the Date Palm. The botanical name of the date palm is Phoenix dactylifera. Dates form staple fruits of people in the Middle East region.

Date Palms are one of the oldest cultivated trees. The seed has the highest viability duration. The fruit may be consumed fresh or dried. It is also used to prepare desserts. A date tree is dioecious, which means that both the male and female parts grow on separate plants, while Prunes are monoecious, which means male and female parts grow on the same plants. Prunes have a very low content of calories, while dates have high-calorie value. More varieties of dates are grown compared to prunes.