Bengaluru: 47 varieties of dates under one roof in Shivajinagar

Bengaluru: The holy month of Ramadan brings with it a delectable selection of fragrant biryani, succulent meat kebabs and the humble dates.

These dates are probably the most underrated part of the celebrations, but one special store in Shivajinagar is providing its customers with the most varied selection. This Ramadan Mohammad Idrees Choudhury’s Delicious Dates and Dry Fruits has been serving up a selection of 47 types of dates.

Established in 1927 at the entrance of the busy Russell Market, it was initially a family-owned fruit shop and around 35 years ago it was converted into a dates and dry fruits outlet.

Choudhury, a man in his late forties, is busy dealing with customers as we approach his store. A 180 degree view of his store reveals an assortment of dates that  include plain dates,  chocolate covered “choco-dates” and stuffed “special dates”.

The mixtures in these special dates vary from almonds and honey sprinkled with saffron to rose petals, oranges and apricots. The prices of these fruits range from Rs 300 per kilogram and can go all the way up to Rs 2,400.

“We have dates from Mecca, Medina and countries of Iran, Jordan, Tunisia and Iraq to name a few. Our sugar free dates called Medjoul King come from South Africa. They are the best in quality,” says Choudhury in between politely quoting the prices of his goodies to his customers and wiping sweat off his forehead. 

His most popular variety is the Ajwa, the most expensive of the lot at a price of Rs 2,400 along with Medjoul, Mabroom dates, priced at Rs 1,400 per kilogram, Sagai which costs about Rs 1,000 for a kilogram and the Tunisian Kurma Tangkai, which is Rs 600 per kilogram.

Other varieties of dates at sale in this store are Kalmi and Sukkari, which cost about Rs 800 per kilogram along with Amber which costs Rs 1,800. 

Mazafati is the most commonly sold, at a comparatively lower price of Rs 300 to Rs 400 per kilogram. Recalling his humble beginning Chodhury said he started out with an investment of mere Rs 2,500 borrowed from his Abba 35 years ago. Now he deals with about a thousand kilograms of dates, especially during this time of the year.