The statements in this article are based on reliable sources, and the relevant sources are detailed at the end of the article.
Edit | Shi Mingjun's heart
<<——Preamble——>>
I don't know if you still remember the smash hit Iraqi dates?
Once upon a time, it was popular for its low price, novel style, unique taste, especially sweet taste, so it was often used as candy for children.
However, for unknown reasons, the later Iraqi dates "disappeared" from people's sight.
From a smash hit to "disappearing", what has it really experienced?
Why did this once-popular Iraqi dates from abroad "disappear"?
After careful study, it turned out that its "disappearance" turned out to be reasonable......
<< · - Dates and "Iraqi dates" - >>
Speaking of which, let's first talk about dates and "Iraqi dates".
Dates, which are not the same as the dates we usually know, belong to the palm family Thorn sunflower evergreen trees, just because this plant is very similar to dates after drying, plus its sugar content is extremely high, so people also call it "dates".
Dates
Dates, China is not its origin, it was first produced in the Middle East, North Africa, especially the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East.
In the desert-filled Arabian Peninsula, where oases are few in number and size, yields of crops such as wheat are low, and yields fluctuate greatly due to the harsh natural environment.
Arabian Peninsula
Even the Arabs who worked as farmers sometimes ate their last meal without a meal, let alone the nomadic Arabs.
Unlike many plants that struggle to survive in the Arabian Peninsula, the date palm tree is very adaptable.
It is for this reason that dates have been a staple food of the Arabs since ancient times, and the date palm tree is now displayed above the coat of arms of Saudi Arabia.
Date palms
Many people may think that it appeared in China in the sixties and seventies of the last century, but in fact, dates were introduced to the mainland as early as the Tang Dynasty. It's just that at that time it was still called Persian dates.
During the Sui and Tang dynasties, many Persian merchants came to Chang'an, and Persia (now Iran) had good relations with the mainland.
Persian merchants who came to China
By the time of Tang Gaozong, the Sassanid Dynasty of the Persian Empire was invaded by the Great Food Kingdom (the name of the Arab Empire in the Tang Dynasty), and the Persian prince Belus organized forces to resist and asked for help from the mainland.
However, at that time, Tang Gaozong politely rejected Belus on the grounds of long distance, and it was not until the Persian prince Belus was defeated and fled and asked for help again, and Tang Gaozong agreed.
At that time, he sent a special envoy Wang Ming to the Western Regions to establish the Persian Governor's Office, and then made the Persian prince the Persian governor.
In the end, under the constant coercion of the Great Food Country, Belus had no choice but to defect to the Tang Dynasty with his family, and after Tang Gaozong learned the news, he not only warmly entertained their family, but also made the Persian prince the general of the Right Guard.
Even if Belus later returned to China and maintained friendly exchanges with the mainland, it may be that dates were introduced during this period.
Although we do not know the specific time of introduction, according to relevant information, there was indeed the existence of "Persian dates" (also known as millennium dates and rice dates) in the Tang Dynasty.
It is worth noting that at that time, according to the Persian word xurman, it was translated as "cave mang", but at that time it was only eaten by dignitaries, so most people did not know much about it.
In the Song Dynasty, Persian jujube was translated as "Su Mang", which was recorded in the "Youyou Yang Miscellaneous Tale zu" that "the tree is three or four zhang long, five or six feet in circumference, the leaves are like earth vines, not withered, and the flowers are born in February, and the shape is like banana flowers...... When ripe, the seeds are black, like dried jujubes, and the taste is sweet as ......";
Including the "Lingbiao Records" recorded in "There is a kind of Persian jujube in Guangzhou, the wood has no side branches, towering three or four feet, and the peak is four-way...... The people of Bitu call it sea palm wood, and you can know it in three or five years, and you can know it once you ...... a child."
"Strange Records of the Ridge Table"
Unfortunately, they were only grown in coastal areas at that time, so few people in other regions knew about this amazing food.
And "Iraqi dates" are a specialty of Iraq.
In the fifties and sixties of the last century, because the mainland was in a special period at that time, the supply of many things was scarce, and at that time, only during the Spring Festival, each family could get a pound of black dates or red dates, so in order to solve the dilemma, the relevant personnel chose to import a large number of "Iraqi dates", toffee and exquisite snacks and other foods.
Photo credit: National School of Development, Peking University, February 14, 2011
At that time, the mainland's intention was to try to stabilize market prices with high-priced products, and it has to be said that this method was extremely bold and effective to a certain extent. It is against this background that the "Iraqi dates" appear in our sights.
It is worth mentioning that because this food is delicious and inexpensive, and it does not need to be supplied by ticket, it caused a buying boom as soon as it appeared on the market.
At that time, almost every household had "Iraqi dates" on their tables, which could be paired with white rice or porridge, and not only that, but because of its high sweetness, many children would also treat it as candy.
As an aside, we can also know from the above information that the dates produced in Guangdong, Guangxi, Xinjiang, Fujian and other places in the mainland are the same thing as the "Iraqi dates", but the growth environment of the two is different, one is the native food of the mainland, and the other is a plant grown in Arab countries. In this way, they are quite similar to kiwi and kiwi.
I believe that those who know about Iraqi dates also know that it suddenly became unpopular or even "disappeared" in the late 70s.
<< - the reason for the disappearance - >>
As for the reason for the disappearance of "Iraqi dates", various theories have been circulated among the people.
One theory is that although this food was warmly welcomed by people in the sixties and seventies of the last century, people who have eaten it feel that this food is sweet and sweet, and if you eat a few, it is okay, and it is easy to feel tired after eating too much.
In addition, with the increase of people's health awareness, we know that eating too sweet things will have a greater or less impact on our health, so gradually few people buy "Iraqi dates", and it naturally "disappears".
Another theory is that around the 70s of the last century, there was a saying that after eating "Iraqi dates", it was easy to get hepatitis, so many people did not dare to eat this food anymore.
Netizen comments
Although for many years, the government and the media have tried their best to confirm that this rumor is false, as the so-called "rumor is fiercer than a tiger", many people still talk about the "Iraqi dates" and never eat them again.
Of course, there is also a theory that it changed its name, from the original "Iraqi dates" to the original scientific name dates.
This is also normal, after all, people in the seventies and eighties of the last century called it "Iraqi dates" because it resembles dates and is imported from Iraq, so it is called this name.
However, in fact, dates are not a food unique to Iraq, so to avoid embarrassment, "Iraqi dates" chose to change the name to its original name.
Compared with the above, I think the following statement is more appropriate, in the sixties and seventies of the last century, "Iraqi dates" were all the rage, because of the combination of various factors.
However, with the development of the times, all kinds of food emerge in an endless stream, especially desserts, the mainland can also produce its own, "Iraqi dates" are no longer competitive, and will naturally choose to "retire", so it seems that its "disappearance" is also reasonable.
<<·——Conclusion——·>>
It may disappear from most of us' sight, but the fun and sweetness of "Iraqi dates" is an indelible memory for a generation.
The views of netizens who have eaten today's dates
In my mind, "Iraqi dates" have long gone beyond the category of food, and have become a historical mark of that stage, just like malt cream.
Source: Baidu Encyclopedia
Of course, if you look at it from a world perspective, this food is still very popular.
Related news reports
Have you ever eaten "Iraqi dates" yet? What do you think about it?
The source in this article is from (Baidu Encyclopedia), (National School of Development, Peking University) released on February 14, 2011, official media (Hangzhou Daily) released on August 27, 2007, (39 Health Network Physician Guo) released on July 28, 2021, and official media (Global Network) released on September 24, 2020, but in order to improve the readability of the article, the details may be polished, please read sensibly, for reference only!