The date season is just around the corner and so is Ramadan, the month when Muslims consume the most dates during the whole year! Millions of Muslims all over the world will be breaking their fasts with a date or three. Dates are extremely healthy in so many ways, they deserve a post on their own just to explain all their amazing health benefits..For now I will tell you where to go in Riyadh for a real date fest! The Riyadh date market!
The Riyadh date and vegetable
market also referred to as the date
souk is located off exit 14 is THE place to go date-shopping!
Most of the dates
at the market are sold by the kilo or by the box but you can always request a small portion and the vendors are happy to let you sample all the different varieties available. For a first timer it can all be really confusing, there's just so much variety.
When dates turn yellow from the original green color they are called
rutab. That's when they're really crunchy and a bit sour. This is the favorite kind of date of many but personally I prefer the sweeter and softer ones called
sukari. After dates start ripening and changing color they're called
tamr.
Before I came to Saudi-Arabia, I never realized there were any other kind of dates than those brown ugly looking ones :) Dates come not only in a rainbow of different colors, but they also vary in size, moisture, texture and sweetness. There are dates used for pure delicacy purposes, some are used to make juices, paste, flour and syrup.
There are dates available here all year round but the fresh dates begin to come into season in the summer when the dates ripen enough in the trees. You might have seen the date palms all over the city now have green fruits hanging from them and they're often covered with nets to protect from pests.
Visitors are welcome to sample the dates and some vendors will offer some Arabic coffee with them. Don't forget to haggle!
Directions: Heading South on the Eastern ring road, take exit 14 to the your right. Then take a right from the lights and continue on the service road until you get to the main entrance of the marketplace area. There is a huge vegetable and fruit market next to the date
souk. The entrance to the date
souk is on the left hand side, you can enter from any of the many gates on the side or the main entrance where the guards are sitting
.This is where you can stop for some complimentary Arabic
kahwa and of course, dates!!
