An Arab Staple: Saudi’s Buraidah Date Festival Highlights Heritage
Dates are not only healthy and excellent brain food, but they also happen to be a staple of daily life in Saudi Arabia and an iconic representation of hospitality. Saudi Arabia is currently the third-largest date producer in the world. Due to their health advantages, people typically eat multiple dates to break the Ramadan fast. They can also be found in bread, pies, cakes, cookies, and other baked goods.
With such importance, dates have their own annual celebration, which takes place in Buraidah, Saudi Arabia’s agricultural center, in the Qassim area, titled “Buraidah Date Festival.” The royal Governor of the area commences it each year, and it is the biggest date festival in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records. The event will also feature scores of activities and marketing schemes to promote Qassim’s date industry according to Arab News
The Buraidah Date Festival intends to draw visitors from the Arab and Gulf nations, including shoppers, investors, and exporters. At the festival, some 4,000 young people, women, and families will set up stalls to offer their grown goods. Due to the inflow of visitors performing the Hajj and Umrah, demand for the fruit, particularly ajwa dates, has substantially increased in Madinah according to The Saudi Arabia Tourism Guide.
According to Arab News, the event is scheduled to continue up to 90 days, and sales are anticipated to exceed 1 billion Saudi Riyals. However, some sources have asserted that sales have exceeded 2.5 billion Saudi Riyals in previous years.
Khudri
Khudri dates are also known as Khadrawi and Khadrawy. Their size varies, these dates are a deep brown color and have a mild sweetness, a chewy texture, and little moisture. Khudri dates are also good for the digestive system because they are abundant in magnesium and fibre.
Mabroom
The most popular type of date is the mabbroom, which is renowned for its superior taste and quality. These dates are long and have skin that is pale crimson to bronze in hue and feel like candy. Mabroom dates are wonderfully soft, filling, delicious, and have a number of health advantages. In addition to being a reliable source of energy, they include important vitamins, and minerals.
Sukkari
These dates melt in the mouth and are incredibly sweet. Sukkari dates have a robust flavour and a lot of nutrients. Because of their exquisite sweetness, locals utilize Sukkari dates in a range of sweet and savoury dishes.
Zahidi
Zahidi dates are nutrient-dense foods with high fiber content. Iron, potassium, B vitamins, antioxidants, and nearly all twenty amino acids can be found in them. They are oval in shape and medium in size. They have light brown skin with a thick, golden interior flesh encasing a single seed. Eating these dates can prevent many ailments, including dyspepsia and anemia, and boost memory and vision according to healthline.
Ajwa
The most important of all dates, Ajwa dates are a well-known Khajoor family that Muslims refer to as “Holy Dates.” These Saudi Arabian dates have a mild sweetness and silky texture. For Muslims performing the Hajj and Umrah in Saudi Arabia, it is a necessary item. It has been suggested that consuming seven Ajwa dates daily can aid in physical recovery and foster long-term energy.
Next time you visit Saudi Arabia, make sure to go check all these types of dates. Apart from their health benefits, they are culturally vital for the region, and specifically Saudi Arabia.
