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A date with a Date

I love your brown skin. Golden brown, dark brown, firm & shiny skin covering your plump yet shapely body. I feel like moving my fingers over your curvaceous body before devouring you completely.

date market

Hey !! It’s not what you are thinking about, …… it is about dates!! 😀

It is that time of the year again when the holy month of Ramadan a.k.a. Ramzan is inching towards its end. In India and other parts of the world, the followers of Islam fast during the daylight hours and come evening, they break their fast with dates and then mouthwatering dishes in this holy month. It is regarded as a merry celebration as it marks a person’s triumph and success on discipline and self-resistance which symbolizes refinement and rebirth.

I still remember how in our childhood, we used to run towards the door on hearing the doorbell during Ramadan. Our Muslim neighbors, would bring delectable dishes everyday after breaking their fast. There were smiles on each face … theirs and ours. Of course, for different reasons. Kebabs, biryani, seviyaan, phirni, and khajoor halwa which was my favourite. I think I am in love with dates since then. A love affair started then and there. 😀

And my mind takes me to Abu Dhabi where the markets or the bazaars are full with delicacies, clothes and other glitters during this period. There is a lovely hustle bustle in bazaars. Date is an important resident here.

Al Mina Fruit & Vegetable Souk

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The Al Mina Fruit & Vegetable Souk market is brimming with color. There is a large section for dates. Each seller is arranging his produce outside his shop. The choice is huge with eclectic varieties of delectable dates. Almost all the shops in this market allow you to taste the dates and you can go on a sugar overdose while trying out the different varieties. My favourite is Khallas from Oman for its succulent sweetness. The shopkeeper urges me to taste one from Saudi Arabia which is also very juicy.

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Packaged in gift boxes they are perfect for souvenirs. There are seedless dates, chocolate filled and chocolate coated dates, strawberry and what not! You can buy dates by weight or the box. I settle down for three boxes of 1 KG each.
Even if you are not buying, this area provides excellent photo opportunities. A must visit place when you are in Abu Dhabi.

There are currently over 44 million date palms in the UAE with under 199 different varieties. Together they produce 76,000 tons of fruit every year.

date market abu dhabi

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In the past, dates were considered a main source of nutrition for Emiratis, whether consumed immediately or conserved and eaten months or years later. The most well-known varieties of Emirati dates include Dabbas, Khunaizi, Bu Ma’an, Khallas, Al Farad and Al Nekhba.

If stored in a cool environment, some dates easily last for 2-3 years. In earlier days, the most popular method was to dry them under the sun before storing them.

Date palm trees had multiple uses besides being a source for the fruit. Their trunks were used as support and the framework for tents whose walls, floors and roofs were created using woven palm tree leaves. The palm branches provided support to the roofs.

Mats, baskets and hand held fans are still made using date palm leaves. Branches of palm trees have even been used as part of small fishing boats after soaking the branches and tying them together.

The date palm tree and its fruit, are a source of various foodstuffs. Date Syrup is extracted from the trunk and coffee is made from grinding its seeds or combining ground date seeds and ground coffee. The seeds are also used to make traditional Kohl.

Now tell me how one cannot fall in love with a date? 😀

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25 thoughts on “A date with a Date”

  1. Jiggyasa Srivastava

    amazing…date tree..never saw that before. wonderful post, and the title is super catchy. I really like dates, specially those sweet ones from soudi. Its packed with nutrition and is hell good in taste. Loved the post

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