As Ramadan has just wrapped up, we set out to find the best dates in Paris, and it looks like we've struck gold! Head over to the 18th district, near the Barbès-Rochechouart station, to visit the Maison des Dattes d’Algérie. With dates coming from Algeria, Morocco, South Africa, and even Jordan… Here, dates are the star and delight us with their sweet, sugary flavor.
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A date store that's been around for over 30 years
It's in 1992 that Mouloud Hamdad and his brother opened their date store in the capital. "Before, there was no one selling dates in the neighborhood." [...] Small shops have disappeared, but I’m still here,” explains Mouloud.
Dates are sold by the piece or in a one-kilo box, along with date honey, making the Maison des Dattes d’Algérie a true paradise for lovers of this fruit. The store has also specialized in Algerian dates, for which it is “known worldwide.”
A fruit that's as healthy as it is delicious
So how do you recognize a good date ? Like all other fruits, « with your eyes », explains Mouloud. When it's « very yellow, soft, and beautifully golden », you can be sure you've found the holy grail when it comes to dates.
The storekeeper is convinced: there's nothing like a good date. In fact, it's often with this fruit that the fast is broken during Ramadan. « How did our ancestors do it? They had milk and dates. It's better than sandwiches or hamburgers », he states. We don't know about you, but that sure gave us a little craving for something sweet...
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Address: 100 Bd de la Chapelle, 75018 Paris, France