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| Shields Date Garden - Indio, California |
Time for some Arabic language trivia.
Most of you are probably familiar with the Medjool date.
They’re one of the most popular date varieties in the world.
The name Medjool comes from the Arabic word
majhul (مجهول) meaning "unknown" or
"unidentified." It was applied to this variety of date because its
place of origin was unknown and the dates do not grow in the same manner as
other dates.
With the advent of DNA testing, scientists have been able to
determine that the "unknown" date variety originated in a specific
grove in the Tafilalt region in eastern Morocco.
Today, California’s Coachella Valley produces more Medjool
dates than almost any other region in the world.
Since it is no longer an unknown date, should it not be renamed the ma'ruf (معروف) or "known" date? Or call it the Tafilalt variety?
Yes, I am being facetious....
