As the sun sets during the holy month of Ramadan, many Muslims break their fast with a sweet, brown dried fruit that has been cherished in the Middle East for centuries.
During the 29 or 30 days of Ramadan, observant and able-bodied Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, and sexual relations from dawn to dusk, seeking to deepen their taqwa, or awareness of God.
Breaking one’s fast with dates and water is rooted in the religious teachings of the Prophet Muhammad and is specifically mentioned in the Quran for its nutritional value.
What are the different varieties of dates?
Dates, fresh or dried, contain important vitamins, minerals and fibre. They are also high in antioxidants.
Given their high level of fructose, a natural sugar found in fruit, dates are a great source of energy, especially after a long day’s fast.
There are many different varieties of dates, with different tastes and textures:
Medjool: Known for their large size, sweet taste, amber colour and richness in flavour.
Mabroom: Less sweet than other kinds of dates with an elongated shape, reddish-brown hue and chewiness.
Ajwa: With a soft, fleshy, almost juicy feel, and a very sweet taste, Ajwa dates are valued the most by Muslims because they are grown in Medina, Saudi Arabia.
Deglet Noor: Medium-sized, lighter in colour and ideal for cooking and baking.
Piarom: Darker skin, rich flavour, slightly drier and known for their unique taste.
Interesting facts about dates
Dates have been cultivated for thousands of years. Date palm trees can be either male or female, and only the female plants produce fruit.
A date palm tree can live for more than 100 years if well maintained and a mature date palm can produce more than 100kg (220 pounds) of dates per harvest season – about 10,000 dates.
The Ajwa date is the most expensive in the world.
Top date producers
In 2022, according to Tridge, a food and agriculture database, about 10 million tonnes of dates were produced worldwide.
Date palms tend to thrive in countries with long, hot summers like those in the Middle East and neighbouring regions.
Egypt is the world’s top date producer, producing nearly 18 percent of the world’s dates, according to Tridge.
Saudi Arabia follows closely with about 17 percent of the global yield, with Algeria rounding off the top three at 13 percent.
The infographic below shows where most of the world’s dates come from:
Call to boycott Israeli dates
Israel is one of the world’s largest exporters of dates, selling medjool dates worth $330m abroad in 2022, according to Tridge. During Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed more than 61,000 people, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office, several groups have called for a boycott of Israel-related products.
One such group is the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Movement (BDS), a Palestinian-led initiative that seeks to challenge international support for what it calls Israeli apartheid and settler colonialism. BDS has urged consumers to always check labels and not buy dates that are produced or packaged in Israel or its settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are illegal under international law.
They recommend avoiding the following brands:
- Hadiklaim and its brands: King Solomon, Jordan River and Jordan River Bio-Top
- Mehadrin
- MTex
- Edom
- Carmel Agrexco
- Arava
