Nizwa’s date souk
The Nizwa date souk surely embodies cultural Oman at its foodie best. We were greeted with freshly brewed, steaming little cups of unsweetened, dark coffee. This was poured from a gleaming silver coffee pot, straight out of Arabian Nights. The coffee was spiced with cardamom and laced with rosewater. The tantalising aromas created were evocative of the rose fields of Oman’s high mountain Jebel Akhdar. Beside the coffee pot, was a bowl of juicy, shiny organic Fard dates, a deep amber-red in colour. Another bowl of freshly pressed sesame paste was place next to it.
How to partake in the date tradition
We sat down and joined a father and son already partaking in these delights. The father picked up a large date and dipped it in the sesame paste before putting it whole, into his mouth. He indicated to us to follow suit. Having acquired the technique, we all sat back on the comfy seats, savouring the combination of the succulent, sweet date and the sesame melting in our mouths. The coffee and date tradition is as firmly entrenched in Omani society as tea and biscuits are in the UK.
The friendly owner of the souk, still reeling from a visit from the President of Singapore joined us. “I will show you the sweetest Omani date,” he said, as he guided us around the room. The number of date varieties in the Nizwa souk is huge. Mouth-watering varieties such as Khals, Bunarng, Kenzy, Hlaly, Brny, Fard, Ngal and Kash Tabak all at the staggering price of £2 per kilo. Finally, the champagne of dates, Sukary dates, were some of the softest dates we have eaten and only slightly more expensive. On one side, a large rotating electric food press crushed sesame seeds imported from Sudan and Egypt to form the ‘sesame-dip’.
As a matter of fact, these dates are sourced from local farmers who sell their organic varieties to the souk cooperative, enabling them to reach a wider market.
Oman’s date tradition
The importance of the Omani date can be seen in the strategically built forts that guard the entrance to the oases. The harvested dates are wrapped in the fronds of the date palm tree itself before storage. The air is expelled using a wooden truncheon before the sacks are piled high. Under their own weight, date juice flowed from the stored dates into channels and collected in earthenware jugs.
The importance of the date in Omani culture
In the past, the date stores were maintained in case of a long siege when the juice was used as a weapon. Hot boiling date juice was poured on unsuspecting intruders through so-called ‘murder-holes’ designed into the forts. In contrast, during peace-time, this honey-like sap unsurprisingly had many dietary uses. For example, the sweet Halwa is made with it.
This was the biggest sugar hit I had taken for some time. The sugar coursing through my arteries had woken me up and I was getting into the spirit of checking out the dates. Just when I thought I could take no more, our host asked, “have you come to a conclusion, have you tasted the sweetest date?” Sukary, I said, confident that the expense and the name must count for something. “Good, you have made your decision. That is the sweetest date for you.”.
Nangle angle
Visit Nizwa date souk for a traditional welcome and more importantly stock up on the best dates at fantastic prices.
Nangle facts & tips
Combine a visit to Nizwa with a drive up Jebel Shams.
