Egyptians are known for giving new names to different types of dates. During the past two years, dates known as Mohamed Salah, named after the Egyptian football star playing for Liverpool, have cropped up.
This year is no different. One kind of date, the Corona, is now available in the market for 25 Egyptian pounds a kilogram ($1.58).
“We are used to giving various types of dates new names every year,” said Ahmed Amin, a merchant in a wholesale market in Moqattam.
“The names are usually trendy. One year, (Mohamed) Aboutrika, Egypt’s former football superstar, was trending. Aboutrika dates were the most expensive,” he said. “Other years, Egyptian actor Mohamed Ramadan was trending. Other times there was belly dancer Sofinar and pop star Shakira.”
Amin said that merchants have also named their dates after the Egyptian actress Laila Elwy and El-Shabah (the ghost), as well as giving other names which dealers believe attract a large number of customers.
Amin said that the Corona was the most significant name to date because of the coronavirus, not only in Egypt but also across the world.
He laughed when he said that customers were buying the Corona dates in bulk, pointing out that customers are amused, too, when they buy them.
