It’s early April and about 2 weeks from the start of the month of Ramadan. In my country Malaysia, many stores have started importing and selling dried dates, one of the staple food for breaking fast, and also a favorite of many in many cultures. Of course in Malaysia, there are some stores that sell high quality dates throughout the year, links at the end of the post.
I am not a date connoisseur, so, I have little idea what the main types and varieties are, let alone the differences between them or where they are from. All I know is, they are sweet and delicious and provides a quick energy snack to perk up the body because of the high sugar content (all natural of course). For more information on dates, a good source to read will be dates on wikipedia.
So, yesterday, I had purchased a small sample of 6 different popular dates, premium variety, just to try them out and learn about them a little more, and thought I shared the short info with everyone. I have very little experience in them, so feel free to comment to add your own favorites and own experiences with the many varieties listed here or not.
[Picture below] - Medjool Dates. Definitely one of my favorite dates after trying them. It’s sweet, flavorful and have a nice chewy and semi crunchy texture. It has the “traditional” date flavor. I would eat this as an evening snack with black tea. It’s large, elongated shape, and have a dark orange to semi brown color. Relatively expensive for the premium varieties.
[Picture below] - Mabroom Dates. Very nice tasting dates. Soft, semi creamy, not as chewy. Not as sweet as the Medjool. It also has the traditional dates flavor. It’s dark orange to lightish brown, large elongated shape. It’s good, but for me, I’d prefer the Madjool. A upper mid priced date.
[Picture below] - Mariami Dates. A dark crimson elongated date, with very sweet and sticky flesh. Very nice flavor. More flavorful than the Mabroom above. Because this is very sticky and sweet, I would think to have this with black unsweetened coffee would be amazing. I like the Mariami over the Mabroom. Although texture wise, I would still prefer the Medjool. A upper mid priced date.
[Picture below] - Ajwa Madeena Dates. This is possibly the more famous and sought after date around the Middle East as this variety is cultivated around the city of Madinah. From what I can see, at least in Malaysia, it’s one of the highest priced dates. It’s almost round, not elongated and has a dark color, almost black or darm crimson. And mostly it’s got a very unique flavor, that is not the “traditional” date flavor. Very delicious and taste like an expensive honey. I can imagine why this is so sought after. If you have not tried this before, buy a few just to try, and get the ones that are cultivated in Madinah. Possibly one of the most expensive dates in town.
[Picture below] - Safawi Dates. A dark crimson color, elongated large date with large folds on the skin. Soft, and sticky, and it has a very nice almost fruity flavor. I like this flavor very much. Very soft and sweet. Good to eat with unsweetened black coffee. A mid priced date.
[Picture below] - Sagai Dates. A bright yellowish, orange, colored elongated date. Very soft and sticky and creamy. Very unique almost slight spiced flavor. I do like it a lot. I would think this could also be nice to cook with meat and all. A upper mid priced date.
Personally for me, all these dates have unique delicious qualities, and for me, my favorites for texture is Medjool, for flavor will be Sagai, and Mariami.
Check out if keen, my video review of taste testing the dates here.
There are other types of dates that I have not purchased. What are your favorite dates? Share in comments below.
In Malaysia, a few of the places we can purchase high quality dates all year round.
Lulu Hypermarket (3 branches): https://goo.gl/maps/1t6EMxm4GWNe2yYs7
Mahnaz Food (many branches): https://goo.gl/maps/T6vRKx35MAA3Zjqt7
