Iftar Meal: Use this superfood to break the fast, available in the market for Rs 80 to Rs 2200

Delhi. Due to the tradition of breaking Roza Iftar (fast) with dates in the month of Ramzan, the sale of this fruit has increased and different varieties of dates are available in the market ranging from Rs 80 to Rs 2200 per kg. Mufti Mukarram Ahmed, Shahi Imam of Fatehpuri Mosque, said that Prophet Mohammad used to use dates a lot and used to consume this fruit even during Roza and Iftar.

According to the Mufti, the Prophet has said that if iftar is offered to a fasting person with dates, water or milk, then it is very beneficial. He said that dates are among the favorite fruits of Prophet Mohammad and all Muslims try to break their fast with dates. Along with religious beliefs, nutritionists also say that the natural sugars and essential nutrients present in dates help in giving immediate energy to the body after fasting.

Nidhi Sahay, head of the diabetes department at Medanta Hospital in Noida, said that after fasting for the whole day, the body needs some energy immediately and when fasting people eat dates, it is an easy way to get the required energy back in the body. “Dates are an excellent source of nutrients like fiber, potassium, magnesium, iron, trace amounts of calcium, and phosphorus. Additionally, dates contain vitamin B6 and antioxidant properties that may promote heart health, aid digestion, and have immunity-boosting benefits,” she said.

Dr. Sahay said that the fasting person should eat one to three dates at the time of Iftar so that energy remains in the body. In view of this, with the beginning of the month of Ramzan, the sale of dates in the market has increased by almost 80 percent. Abdul Ghaffar, one of the big traders of dates in Azadpur Mandi, told PTI that in the month of Ramzan, the sale of dates increases by 70-80 percent and all types of dates are sold.

Raja, a retailer of dates in East Delhi, also said that there has been an increase of 80 percent in the sales of this fruit in this holy month and said that dates are available in the market ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 2200 per kg and people buy dates as per their pocket. He said that generally people buy dates ranging from Rs 300 to Rs 500 per kilogram, which include dates like Tunisian dates, ‘Bam’, ‘Maryam’, and ‘Kalut’.

Raja told that apart from this, Madani’s date palm is also very much liked and it costs Rs 500-700 per kg. He told about expensive dates that these include dates like Ambar, Ajwa, Barni, Medjool whose price ranges from Rs 1000 per kg to Rs 2200 per kg, which are generally from Madina.

Raja said that the most expensive date is ‘Medzol’ which is sold at the rate of Rs 2000-2200 per kg in Medina and Rs 1600 per kg in Jordan. Describing its specialty, Raja said that a date of this breed is about two and a half to three inches long and the weight of one date is between 100 to 150 grams and its quality is very good, hence it is sold at a very expensive price.

Adeel, a resident of Okhla, says that he prefers to buy medium grade dates, which are available at Rs 300-400 per kg. According to him, his family of three uses about two kilograms of dates during Ramzan. This month has started in the country from 19th February. Due to this, for the next 30 days, members of the Muslim community do not eat or drink anything from sunrise to sunset and worship Allah as much as possible.