Luxury Medjool Dates: A Difference you Can Taste!

Once reserved only for the kings of Morocco, dates are now experiencing a real hype, and not only among dried fruit lovers. Medjool dates are on everyone's lips. This variety, also known as "queen of dates", is by far the most popular of all date variations in the world. In countless recipes - for example, for bacon-coated dates or energy balls - people primarily use Medjool dates. Medjool fans post about this date variety online. But what is real in the myth about the queen of dates? What is the difference between Medjool dates and the roughly 600 other varieties of dates.

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The Medjool in Comparison

All date varieties convince through numerous vitamins, minerals, fibre and trace elements contained in them. Especially people who want to lose weight or reduce their hunger for sweets, appreciate the "desert fruit". If you don't exaggerate your date consumption, the fruit enriches a balanced diet - and you contribute to your well-being. But what sets Medjool dates apart from varieties, such as Sukkari, Ajwa, Deglet Nour, Mazafati, Safawi, Wanan, Rabbi or Anbara in the competition for the title of queen?

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A Close-Up: Medjool Dates

Origin: originally from the south of Morocco, Medjool is now cultivated in Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, as well as in California, South Africa and Namibia
Spellings: Medjool, Medjol, Medjoul or Medjuul
Colour: caramel / brown-red
Cultivation & Harvesting: Medjool palm trees only yield a significant harvest after about 7 years, and only fully mature at 10-12 years of age. However, the harvest can then amount up to 100 kilograms per palm tree. The plant grows up to 30 metres high.
Season: Fresh Medjool dates are available in the winter months from October to January. The fruits are especially popular around Christmas time, but they are developing into a food that is popular all year round, especially in vegan, vegetarian and fitness cuisine.
Storage: Fresh Medjool should be consumed quickly. They do not go bad, but dry out slowly. They should be stored as cool and dry as possible.
Nutrients: Calcium, copper, manganese, potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, zinc and vitamin A, B complex and vitamin C.

Difference from other date varieties #1: Size

The number one obvious reason why the Medjool date was chosen as queen of dates decades ago and still is today: size. Compared to other date fruits, the Medjoul stands out for its size."Premium" Medjool dates measure up to 6 cm in contrast to Deglet Nour dates, which are about 4 cm long. Another attractive feature: the flesh that envelops the pit is particularly thick (about 3 cm) in Medjool dates.

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Standout Feature #2: Distinctive natural sweetness

This fruit is often described as the "bread of the desert". Taking this into account, one could go a step further and call the Medjool date a "praline of nature". One of the main differences between Medjoul and other types of dates, is its sweetness: its unique taste is often compared with caramel and honey for a lack of better descriptions. The fine sweetness is due to the fructose contained. This natural sweetness, the distinct sweet and fruity aroma, would need a word creation to describe the taste more accurately. If we were in the Anglo-Saxon world, we would plead for "djoolicious". This divine taste would be worth a name of its own. We think that delicious taste deserves an entry in the dictionary...

Standout Feature #3: Djoolicious Softie

With incomparable "djooliciousness", the Medjoul wins our hearts and our taste buds instantly, because it is also so beautifully soft. The tender flesh is so juicy and full-bodied that we afterwards find it hard to even want to try another kind of date. The consistency is almost unique, and can only be measured with Mazafati dates.

Standout Feature #4: We Present: Medjoul - the Diva Among Dates

We are often asked: What makes this variety more expensive compared to other dates? The answer: Medjool dates are so precious because growing, tending and finally harvesting them is a very labour-intensive process. It is more laborious than with other varieties. Until a Medjoul date palm (botanical name: Phoenix dactylifera) to bear fruit. In contrast, other date palm trees bear date fruits after 3 to 5 years. Fresh Medjouls are also very sensitive during transportation. They require cool and particularly careful transportation.

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Distinctive Feature #5: There's Even More Inside

Sometimes, because they are simply bigger, fleshier and naturally sweet, Medjool dates tend to have a slightly different nutritional value, and they trump with "more is more": In direct comparison with Deglet Nour, for example, Medjoul dates have a lower calorie content, but a significantly higher calcium, magnesium, zinc and vitamin A content. The even higher natural content of sugar ensures a quick and constant energy supply. This makes Medjoul dates - whether fresh or dried - ideal as a snack for endurance and strength athletes. The higher magnesium content also makes it easier to forget sore muscles.

Sweet Counterpart and Icing on the Cake

Due to their natural sweetness and the incomparably soft flesh, Medjuul dates are even better suited for salads, smoothies and desserts than other date varieties. Especially, when it comes to the sweet-salty contrast, the djoolicous variety wins by far. It also goes very well with coffee and tea.

Conclusion: We would simply ALWAYS choose the attractive Medjool date variety with its great size, its incomparably sweet characteristics, a particularly soft flesh, as well as its fabulous inner values as the queen of dates. Convince yourself!