Medjool

Medjool
GenusPhoenix
SpeciesPhoenix dactylifera
OriginTafilalt, Morocco

The Medjool date (Arabic: تمر المجهول - tamar al-majhūl. Tamar means 'date' and majhūl means 'unknown', from جَهِلَ jahila, 'to not know')[1][2] also known as Medjoul, Mejhoul or Majhool, is a large, sweet cultivated variety of date (Phoenix dactylifera). It is an important commercial variety constituting some 25% of worldwide trade in dates.

Landrace

See also: List of date cultivars

The Medjool cultivar originates from the Tafilalt region of Morocco, where it is still grown.[3] Outside Morocco, it is grown in the United States,[4] Israel,[5] Palestine,[6] Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Jordan. The variety is planted both for its fruit and for landscaping.[7][8]

The medjool is a distinct landrace, described as producing "large soft fruit, with orange-yellowish flesh, and a mildly rich and pleasing flavor".[9] Being large, soft, and with a "caramel, honey" flavor, the variety has been called "the king of dates".[10]

Constituents

Medjool dates are high in oxalates (18–233 mg/100 g dry weight).[11][12]

Out of the over 3000[13] known cultivars, only two contain the disaccharide sugar sucrose: Deglet Nour and Medjool. All the rest contain the monosaccharides glucose and fructose in a mix known as invert sugar.[13] Sucrose tastes sweeter than glucose but less sweet than fructose; the mix is less sweet than pure fructose, but still is somewhat sweeter than sucrose.[14]

Large Medjool dates are sold as a luxury product.[13]

Trade

In 2013, Israel held more than 60 percent of the global medjool market share.[15] In 2024, Medjool constituted 25% of the world export market for dates.[13] Those supplied to France, the largest European importer of dates, are predominantly from Algeria and Tunisia. Retail brands in both France and Italy often label the cultivar, usually Medjool or Deglet Nour, on the packet.[13] Especially large Medjool dates are sold as a luxury product, for example in the Netherlands. A UK social enterprise, Zaytoun, sells Medjool dates from Palestine.[13]

References

  1. ^ Zaid, Abdelouahhab, ed. (2002). Date Palm Cultivation. Vol. 156. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251048634. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  2. ^ "A Brief History on the Origin of Medjool Dates". Archived from the original on 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  3. ^ Onstad, D. (2004). Whole foods companion: a guide for adventurous cooks, curious shoppers, and lovers of natural foods. A Politics of the Living Book Series. Chelsea Green Publishers. p. 46. ISBN 978-1-931498-68-5. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  4. ^ Hodel, D.R.; Johnson, D.V. (2007). Imported and American Varieties of Dates (Phoenix dactylifera) in the United States. Publication (University of California (System). Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources)). University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-879906-78-5. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  5. ^ Al-Khayri, Jameel M.; Jain, S. Mohan; Johnson, Dennis Victor, eds. (2015). Date palm genetic resources and utilization. Volume 2, Asia and Europe. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands. pp. 423–440. ISBN 978-94-017-9707-8. OCLC 905543989.
  6. ^ Abu-Qaoud H (2015). "Date Palm Status and Perspective in Palestine". In Al-Khayri J, Jain S, Johnson D (eds.). Date Palm Genetic Resources and Utilization. Dordrecht: Springer. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
  7. ^ Russo, Susan (17 October 2007). "Medjool: A Date to Remember". NPR. Archived from the original on 31 March 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  8. ^ "Medjool Date Palm". Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  9. ^ Elhoumaizi, Mohammed Aziz; et al. (2006). "Confirmation of 'Medjool' Date as a Landrace Variety through Genetic Analysis of 'Medjool' Accessions in Morocco" (PDF). Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science. 131 (3): 403–407. doi:10.21273/JASHS.131.3.403. S2CID 85976366. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-12-22. Retrieved 2018-01-25.
  10. ^ "Medjool Dates". The Medjool Date Co. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  11. ^ Al-Zahrani, Khaled S.; Faqeeh, Akram A.; Abdulghani, Zuhair R.; Thomas, Selvin P. (2022). "A review on the physicochemical properties and utilization of date seeds in value-added engineering products". Polymer Bulletin. 79 (12). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 10433–10490. doi:10.1007/s00289-021-04048-3. ISSN 0170-0839. S2CID 245883533.
  12. ^ Alahyane, A.; Harrak, H.; Elateri, I; Ayour, J.; Ait-Oubahou, A.; Benichou, M.; et al. (2021). "Evaluation of some nutritional quality criteria of seventeen Moroccan dates varieties and clones, fruits of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.)". Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology. 82: e236471. doi:10.1590/1519-6984.236471. PMID 34105667.
  13. ^ a b c d e f "The European market potential for dates". European Union. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  14. ^ Helstad, Scott (2019). "Corn Sweeteners". Corn. Elsevier. pp. 551–591. doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-811971-6.00020-6. ISBN 978-0-12-811971-6.
  15. ^ "Medjool Dates From Israel Wastewater Proving Favorite of Foodies". Bloomberg. 20 November 2013. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.