Medjool Explained

Medjool
Genus:Phoenix
Species:Phoenix dactylifera
Origin:Tafilalt, Morocco

The Medjool date (- 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]

Biochemistry

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

Out of the over 3000 cultivated varieties, only two contain the disaccharide sugar sucrose: Deglet Nour and Medjool. All the rest contain the monosaccharides glucose and fructose, known as invert sugar,[12] as they are the two components of sucrose. Sucrose tastes sweeter than glucose but less sweet than fructose.[13]

Trade

In 2013, Israel held more than 60 percent of the global medjool market share.[14] In 2024, Medjool constituted 25% of the world export market for dates.[12] 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.[12] 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.[12]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Abdelouahhab . Zaid . Date Palm Cultivation . Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations . 156 . 2002 . 9789251048634 . March 25, 2023 . April 25, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230425143807/https://books.google.com/books?id=-9qkOviOcqAC&q=medjool+etymology+unknown . live .
  2. Web site: A Brief History on the Origin of Medjool Dates . 2023-03-24 . 2023-03-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230324120619/https://www.dateland.com/blog/a-brief-history-on-the-origin-of-medjool-dates/ . live .
  3. Book: Onstad, D. . Whole foods companion: a guide for adventurous cooks, curious shoppers, and lovers of natural foods . Chelsea Green Publishers . A Politics of the Living Book Series . 2004 . 978-1-931498-68-5 . January 26, 2018 . 46 . April 25, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230425143806/https://books.google.com/books?id=b9EJAQAAMAAJ . live .
  4. Book: Hodel . D.R. . Johnson . D.V. . Imported and American Varieties of Dates (Phoenix dactylifera) in the United States . University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources . Publication (University of California (System). Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources)) . 2007 . 978-1-879906-78-5 . January 26, 2018 . 10 . April 25, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230425143806/https://books.google.com/books?id=R0XjojWqfqcC&pg=PA10 . live .
  5. Book: Date palm genetic resources and utilization. Volume 2, Asia and Europe . Springer Netherlands . Jameel M. . Al-Khayri . S. Mohan . Jain . Dennis Victor . Johnson . 2015 . 978-94-017-9707-8 . Dordrecht . 423–440 . 905543989.
  6. Web site: Date Palm Status and Perspective in Palestine . Shaher M. El-Ashry, Basem Natsheh, and Mohamed S. Jaradat . 2015 . ResearchGate . 2023-05-30.
  7. Web site: Russo, Susan . Medjool: A Date to Remember . 17 October 2007 . NPR . 25 January 2018 . 31 March 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150331115916/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15282847 . live .
  8. Web site: Medjool Date Palm. 25 January 2018. 18 January 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180118062210/http://www.medjool-date-palms.com/html/medjool-date-palm.html. live.
  9. Elhoumaizi . Mohammed Aziz . etal . Confirmation of 'Medjool' Date as a Landrace Variety through Genetic Analysis of 'Medjool' Accessions in Morocco . Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science. 2006 . 131 . 3 . 403–407 . 10.21273/JASHS.131.3.403 . 85976366 . 2018-01-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181222204359/http://journal.ashspublications.org/content/131/3/403.full.pdf . 2018-12-22 . dead.
  10. Web site: Medjool Dates . The Medjool Date Co. . 5 June 2024.
  11. 2022 . . 12 . 79 . Al-Zahrani . Khaled S. . Faqeeh . Akram A. . Abdulghani . Zuhair R. . Thomas . Selvin P. . 10433–10490 . . 0170-0839 . A review on the physicochemical properties and utilization of date seeds in value-added engineering products . 10.1007/s00289-021-04048-3 . 245883533. This review cites this research.Alahyane . A. . Harrak . H. . Elateri . I . Ayour . J. . Ait-Oubahou . A. . Benichou . M. . etal. Evaluation of some nutritional quality criteria of seventeen Moroccan dates varieties and clones, fruits of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) . . 2021 . 82 . e236471 . 34105667 . 10.1590/1519-6984.236471 . free .
  12. Web site: The European market potential for dates . European Union . 5 June 2024 . 30 January 2024.
  13. Book: Helstad, Scott . Corn . Corn Sweeteners . Elsevier . 2019 . 978-0-12-811971-6 . 10.1016/b978-0-12-811971-6.00020-6 . 551–591.
  14. News: Medjool Dates From Israel Wastewater Proving Favorite of Foodies . Bloomberg . 20 November 2013 . 20 February 2021 . 5 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210505230044/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-11-20/medjool-dates-from-israel-wastewater-proving-favorite-of-foodies . live.

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