Where do Ramadan dates come from?

At sunset during the month of Ramadan, devout Muslims around the world break their fast with Iftar; And most Muslims start their Iftar with that delicious brown fruit called date.

Ramadan, the 9th month of the Arabic lunar year, has special significance in Islam. This month ends in 29 or 30 days. According to religious orders, billions of Muslims around the world abstain from drinking, smoking and sexual intercourse from sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan to seek 'Taqwa' or the pleasure of Allah.

Dates are given importance in the Holy Quran and Hadith. But not only in the religious view, but also in the modern nutrition theory, the place of dates is high among different fruits according to food standards.

Dried or fresh – dates are full of important vitamins, minerals and fiber to aid in digestion. Apart from this, dates are also a great source of antioxidants that protect the human body from various diseases and ailments. Rich in natural sugar (fructose), this fruit is also high in energy for the all-day fasting during Ramadan.

Dates are available in different flavors, sizes and colors around the world. However, in terms of popularity, there are 5 types of date palms in the global market. These are –

Mejdul: These dates are large in size, very sweet in taste and fragrant. Two types of mejdul dates are generally available in the market – King Mejdul and Black Mejdul.

Mabrum: Slightly longer than its length, this date palm is reddish brown in color. Mabrum dates are rich in fiber and taste slightly less sweet than other date varieties.

Ajwa: Ajwa is the most popular date among Muslims around the world. The big reason for this popularity is the large production in different regions of Saudi Arabia including Madinah. These medium sized dark brown dates are very soft, fleshy, juicy and very sweet.

Deglet Noor: Medium size brown in color this date is slightly less sweet. However, this date is ideal for cooking sweet dishes and making cakes and breads.

Pyrom: Almost black in color, the pyrom is slightly drier than other dates and is famous for its unique taste.

Some interesting facts about dates

The history of palm cultivation in human civilization is thousands of years. There are men and women in palm trees. Dates grow only on female trees.

A mature tree yields about 10,000 dates per year. The weight of this quantity of dates is more than 100 kg.

Ajwa is the most popular date in the world.

Top date producing countries

According to data from the food and agriculture database Treez, 9 million tons of dates are produced worldwide each year. Geographical regions with long and hot summers are ideal for date palm cultivation.

However, 5 countries are leading in the cultivation and export of dates — Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Algeria and Iraq.

Egypt, the world's top exporter of dates, produces 1.7 million tons of dates every year. Which is 18 percent of the total production of dates globally.

After that is Saudi Arabia. This country, one of the largest in the Middle East, produces 1.5 million tons of dates every year, 18 percent of which are dates.

In addition, 1.3 million tons of dates are produced in Iran, 1.2 million tons in Algeria and 73 thousand 500 tons in Iraq.

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