Dates 101

Every date has a personality

How it tastes, how it feels, what's in it, and when it fits. Pick yours.

Meet the crew

Qassim's signature date
The Twist
Sukkari Mufattal
A date that twisted itself as it dried. The result? A firm, creased skin and a soft heart that tastes of honey and caramel.
- Honey
- Caramel
- Soft centre
- Golden twist
The colour of dark amber
The In-Between
Sukkari Galaxy
Not rutab, not dry: Galaxy sits right in the middle.
- Glossy
- Amber
- Soft but firm
- Sukkari sweetness
Qassim's signature date
Named “sugary”, for a reason
Sukkari
The Qassim date everyone knows: honey and caramel, in whatever form suits you.
- Honey
- Caramel
- Very sweet
Named in the hadith
Dark Mode
Madinah Ajwa
Sleek and dark, less sweet than most dates, with a fruity flavour.
- Fruity
- Prune-like
- Gently sweet
- Dark
Dark brown, golden tip
Two-Tone
Sagai
Half crunch, half soft: two dates in one bite.
- Crunch
- Brown sugar
- Gently sweet
- Two-tone
Known worldwide, and big
The Big One
Medjool
A big, glossy date, soft and plump, tasting of caramel.
- Caramel
- Honey
- Vanilla
- Plump
≈ 66 kcal a date
One of Qassim's best-known
Big Softie
Wanana
Big, dark, and so soft its skin is as soft as the flesh.
- Super soft
- Hint of cinnamon
- Gently sweet
- Dark
Al-Ahsa's signature dateComing to tamra
The Toffee One
Khalas
Butter-caramel taste, chestnut brown, from Al-Ahsa.
- Butter caramel
- Nutty
- Moist
- Medium
Photo: Dalma, Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

Side by side

Variety	One fruit	Sugars /100 g	Glycaemic index	kcal / date
Sukkari MufattalThe Twist	13 g	64 g	43	—
Sukkari GalaxyThe In-Between	13 g	64 g	43	—
SukkariNamed “sugary”, for a reason	13 g	64 g	43	—
Madinah AjwaDark Mode	9.8 g	71 g	56	—
SagaiTwo-Tone	9.6–13 g	69 g	45	—
MedjoolThe Big One	24 g	67 g	55	≈ 66
WananaBig Softie	—	74 g	51	—
KhalasComing soon	—	—	—	—

Why dates?

Naturally sweet
Most of a date's carbohydrate is natural fruit sugar: glucose and fructose, and sucrose in some varieties. Plain dates have no sugar added.
Contains fibre
Dates contain dietary fibre: Medjool has 6.7 g per 100 g.
Contains potassium
Medjool has 696 mg of potassium per 100 g, and 54 mg of magnesium.
Very little fat or salt
Naturally: Medjool has 0.15 g of fat and 1 mg of sodium per 100 g.
One serving?
The Saudi study took 3 average-sized dates as one serving. Medjool is a big date: 3 of them come to about 200 kcal.
A fact from Qassim University
A 2016 study measured the glycaemic index of 17 varieties: Sukkari 43.4, Sagai 44.6, Ajwa 55.9, with no statistically significant difference between them. A fact for the curious, not advice for people with diabetes.

From the Sunnah

The Prophet (ﷺ) said:
“There is a tree among the trees which is similar to a Muslim (in goodness), and that is the date palm tree.”
مِنَ الشَّجَرِ شَجَرَةٌ تَكُونُ مِثْلَ الْمُسْلِمِ، وَهْىَ النَّخْلَةُ
Sahih al-Bukhari 5448 · translation: sunnah.com
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said:
“He who eats seven 'Ajwa dates every morning, will not be affected by poison or magic on the day he eats them.”
مَنْ تَصَبَّحَ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ سَبْعَ تَمَرَاتٍ عَجْوَةً لَمْ يَضُرُّهُ فِي ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ سُمٌّ وَلاَ سِحْرٌ
Sahih al-Bukhari 5445, also Sahih Muslim 2047 · translation: sunnah.com
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“Al-'Ajwah is from Paradise and it contains a cure for poison…”
الْعَجْوَةُ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ وَفِيهَا شِفَاءٌ مِنَ السُّمِّ…
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2066 · translation: sunnah.com · at-Tirmidhi: hasan gharib; graded sahih by al-Albani
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said:
“The 'ajwa' dates of 'Aliya' contain healing effects and these are antidote in the early morning.”
إِنَّ فِي عَجْوَةِ الْعَالِيَةِ شِفَاءً أَوْ إِنَّهَا تِرْيَاقٌ أَوَّلَ الْبُكْرَةِ
Sahih Muslim 2048 · translation: sunnah.com · Al-'Aliya: the orchards and villages on the upper side of Madinah, toward Najd (al-Nawawi)
Anas bin Malik narrated:
“The Messenger of Allah would break the fast with fresh dates before performing Salat. If there were no fresh dates then (he would break the fast) with dried dates, and if there were no dried dates then he would take a few sips of water.”
كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُفْطِرُ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُصَلِّيَ عَلَى رُطَبَاتٍ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ رُطَبَاتٌ فَتُمَيْرَاتٍ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تُمَيْرَاتٌ حَسَا حَسَوَاتٍ مِنْ مَاءٍ
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 696, also Abu Dawud 2356 · translation: sunnah.com · graded sahih by al-Albani
Narrated 'Abdullah bin Ja'far:
“I saw Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) eating fresh dates with snake cucumbers.”
رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَأْكُلُ الرُّطَبَ بِالْقِثَّاءِ
Sahih al-Bukhari 5449 · translation: sunnah.com
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said:
“A family which has dates will not be hungry.”
لاَ يَجُوعُ أَهْلُ بَيْتٍ عِنْدَهُمُ التَّمْرُ
Sahih Muslim 2046a · translation: sunnah.com
Allah says:
“And shake toward you the trunk of the palm tree; it will drop upon you ripe, fresh dates.”
وَهُزِّىٓ إِلَيْكِ بِجِذْعِ ٱلنَّخْلَةِ تُسَـٰقِطْ عَلَيْكِ رُطَبًا جَنِيًّا
Qur'an 19:25 · Saheeh International

Sources

For general information; not a substitute for advice from a doctor or dietitian.