摩洛哥冷知識：全球知名的摩洛哥紅棗
摩洛哥的棗子 dates 很有名，每年都向全世界出口很多。
摩洛哥種的棗樹和我們這的不太一樣，是海棗 date palm，長得像棕櫚樹：
圖片來源：Wikipedia
這種樹產出來的棗子纔是英語中說的 dates，而中國的大棗和它並不是同一個東西，我們的這種叫 Chinese-date
所以海棗曬出來的紅棗和我們這的紅棗是不太一樣的：
圖片來源：Wikipedia
海棗不光是摩洛哥菜裏的一個重要原料，而且這種樹在《創 世紀》中被稱爲“生命之樹”，它對伊斯蘭教來說有很重要的意義。
One of the most popular exports from Morocco is their world-famous dates. They export more than 90,000 tons of them each year to locations around the globe. Dates have played an important part in Moroccan cuisine for thousands of years. Archaeological evidence suggests the cultivation of dates all the way back in 6,000 BC in Arabia. The date palm was a major source of life for thousands of people throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa and is said to have provided people with thousands of different uses including thread, mattresses, lumber, rope, and many other household and dietary uses. Dates are also very important in Islam with the date palm regarded as the “tree of life” as mentioned in the Story of Genesis and also eaten to ceremoniously break fast during Ramadan.
摩洛哥最受歡迎的出口產品之一是該國舉世聞名的棗子。摩洛哥每年向全球各地出口超過9萬噸棗子。數千年來，棗子在摩洛哥美食中發揮着重要作用。考古證據表明，公元前6000年，阿拉伯半島就有人種植棗樹。棗樹是許多中東人和北非人的主要生活來源，據說，它有上千種不同的用途，可以做成線、牀墊、木材、繩子，還有許多家庭和飲食方面的其他用途。棗子在伊斯蘭教中也是很重要的，《創 世紀》中曾提到，棗樹被視爲“生命之樹”，而且在齋月期間，人們還會在正式的開齋儀式上吃棗子。
