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Ramadan tradition dictates that Egypt's fruit-sellers nickname their dates to reflect unofficial popularity ratings, but this year the global recession has forced down the price of the 'Obama'.
Named after US President Barack Obama who chose Cairo to deliver a landmark speech to the world's Muslims in June, the popular date was expected to sell for 25 Egyptian pounds (around 4.5 dollars) a kilogram (2.2 pounds).
"People can't afford dates this year, we had to bring the price down to 15 pounds (2.7 dollars)," said Mohammed, a fruit vendor in the bustling Sayyeda Zeinab neighbourhood.
Emulating the Prophet Mohammed, Muslims traditionally eat a date and drink milk to break the dawn-to-dusk fast during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, whose beginning is set according to the sighting of the moon.
A savvy shopper knows that the good dates are light brown, shiny and sweet.
Competing with "Obama", the second-most expensive date on the market after the "High Dam" which sells for 18 pounds, are the "Abutrika" variety named after popular midfielder Mohammed Abutrika who plays for local team Al-Ahly, showing that politics and football are never far from Egyptians' minds.
At 10 Egyptian pounds (1.8 dollars) are the "Columbo" dates, named after the 1970s American TV series starring Peter Falk as homicide detective Lieutenant Columbo, re-runs of which have played regularly on Egyptian television.
Egypt is the world's top date producer with 1.1 million tonnes a year.
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(Agencies)
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受齋月傳統(tǒng)影響，埃及水果商常根據(jù)棗椰的受歡迎程度來(lái)給它們命名。但今年，由于全球經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退，“奧巴馬”棗椰的價(jià)格也隨之下跌。
廣受歡迎的“奧巴馬”棗椰得名于美國(guó)總統(tǒng)巴拉克·奧巴馬，其預(yù)期售價(jià)為每公斤（合2.2磅）25埃磅（約合4.5美元）。奧巴馬于今年六月在開(kāi)羅向全世界的穆斯林發(fā)表重要講話。
在繁忙的薩耶達(dá)?柴那不區(qū)賣(mài)水果的默罕默德說(shuō)：“今年人們買(mǎi)不起棗椰，所以我們只好把價(jià)格降到15埃磅（2.7美元）。”
為了效仿先知穆罕默德，穆斯林通常在神圣的齋月期間每日吃一個(gè)棗椰和喝牛奶來(lái)開(kāi)齋。齋戒一般從黎明開(kāi)始，一直持續(xù)至黃昏。齋月的開(kāi)始時(shí)間則根據(jù)月亮的盈虧來(lái)確定。
有挑棗經(jīng)驗(yàn)的人都知道，好的棗椰呈淡棕色，有光澤而且很甜。
“奧巴馬”棗僅次于每公斤售價(jià)18埃鎊的“高壩”棗，為市場(chǎng)第二大最貴品種。和“奧巴馬”棗不相上下的是“阿布特里卡”棗，這一品種根據(jù)頗具人氣的足球中場(chǎng)球員穆罕默德?阿布特里卡的名字命名。阿布特里卡是埃及當(dāng)?shù)匕柊⒑绽銟?lè)部的球員，可見(jiàn)政治和足球一直都是埃及人關(guān)心的話題。
每公斤售價(jià)10埃磅（1.8美元）的“哥倫布”棗則根據(jù)上世紀(jì)70年代的一部美劇中由皮特?佛爾克飾演的謀殺案?jìng)商礁鐐惒贾形径＿@部電視劇在埃及經(jīng)常重播。
埃及是全世界最大的棗椰生產(chǎn)國(guó)，年產(chǎn)量為110萬(wàn)噸。
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（英語(yǔ)點(diǎn)津陳丹妮 姍姍編輯） |
