Anyone managing to source medjool date from the middle east at the moment?

[soupfiend]

I keep seeing boxes of dates which are either from south Africa or Namibia but we used to buy a brand which was from Jordan, I'm guessing it's not possible at the moment for ME countries to export? The reason I'm wondering is because the Jordanian ones were far superior.

I’ve never bought dates but I was going to get some this year to try. My dad loved them. I’ve had a quick look on Waitrose and theirs are from Israel or the USA. I’ll be looking at the suggestions on this thread.

Date update

None in Iceland and the member of staff I asked looked really baffled at my query
Tesco were completely out of Medjool but then I know that they're from South Africa anyway
No medjool dates in the Turkish shop at all. We bought 'Palestinian' dates (no species identified). Nice flavour, meaty, like eating a fruit paste but not a medjool, they would be very good for cooking. Mels Kitchen they are called.

Have you tried your local Arabic shop if you're in a big city? I'm in London and my local Arabic shop is piled high with different brands, many Lebanese.

No not in a big city and no arabic shops as such.

Check Morrisons in the world food aisle, I got a couple of boxes from there recently.

They also do the mejdool dates from South Africa, they were in the fresh fruit section.

Updating this thread for any date fiends out there

So firstly, we managed to get our hands on Zaytoun palestinian dates. Not impressed at all. Expensive and dry, tough, gritty, not particularly got the taste we were used to from the dates we used to have from Jordan from the greengrocer.

Secondly managed to get our hands on Medjool Village dates from Asda, bought 6 boxes. Brilliant, hands down the best dates so far. Only about £6 a box from memory

Thirdly, got some from a brand called Tahir in an ME shop, not very nice, similar to the Zaytoun brand, quite dry and tough.

In the mean time, after going everywhere and spending god knows how much the bloody greengrocer (the last time we went in there, we dont go in there a lot as they're so expensive), have got the Jordanian dates back in again. Anyway we dont need any for a good few months yet as we have so many to get through at the moment.
Knowing our luck once we're finished with the ones we've got the greengrocer will have changed supplier again.

Funny enough I haven't spotted any for a while, only those nasty ones that come in the long box with the weird stick.
Il head down to my local Arabic shop next week see if I can spot some there as only looked in my big supermarket lately, but this is the first time they haven't had the lovely medjool ones.

Thanks for the feedback @soupfiend I love medjool dates and was wondering whether to order online from that source. I’m sitting eating m&s medjool dates and they’re delicious.

I saw this just before going to Sainsburys just now and checked there, they have some and they looked very plump and tasty.

From the ME?

Same question are these from the ME?

Box says Jordan. Dh is off to sainos (closer to us) to get some for me later (I’m having medical treatment and dates are part of dealing with some of the digestive side effects!). Sainos website gives a variety of places they’re from -USA as well as Jordan.

Thats the problem, I dont know why they're so different but the South African and USA dates just arent as good.

Jordanian ones seem quite reliable.

I’ll give the sainos ones a go and then pick up a couple of boxes in m&s when I’m near there next week. I am very fussy about the right dates!

I was told that dates mostly from Namibia or African countries aren't grown there but are actually Israeli settler dates. They're sent to an external country to process & then repackaged with a neutral country of origin label and then sold. As a lot of people boycott Istaeli products, the settlers have to find another way of selling their produce.

https://zaytoun.uk/products/essential-medjoul-dates/

See my update, I am not impressed with these

I ordered these last year and found them very soft and melt in the mouth. I'm also looking for some dates so will check my local Turkish shop.

I can't find medjool dates anywhere. Ideally I'd only buy Israeli ones because nothing else compares to them for quality, texture and taste. I normally get them from Asda but I haven't seen them for ages and im starting to run low (I have no problem with buying produce from a country that's been invaded by a warmongering neighbour, I'd happily buy eg Ukrainian goods as well)

Yes Jordan

Sainsbos

Thats interesting, note that they are the Medjool Village ones

Same as the ones I said in my update were the best. The Medjool Village brand I got from Asda but they're also in Morrisons in a box with a different sort of label on them

https://medjoolvillage.com/medjool-dates

Reporting back. The sainos ones are good although I would wonder if the M and s ones have the edge - although I could be imagining things. Going to have to do a blind comparison 🤣. Dh has long eaten those awful plastic boxes of them, which are covered in some sort of additive. Having moaned about the cost he was instantly converted to these when he tried one.

The sticky ones in the long box are not Medjool dates

In my quest for the perfect Medjools I see there are lots of different species and Ive got lots of Israeli and Palestinian and ME cook books and they always mention different species of dates for different recipes.

Yep those sticky ones do not compare in any way to medjools. I’m glad to find people who share my delight in these!