埃及：金融危機使“奧巴馬”棗價格下跌

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.

受齋月傳統影響，埃及水果商常根據棗椰的受歡迎程度來給它們命名。但今年，由於全球經濟衰退，“奧巴馬”棗椰的價格也隨之下跌。

廣受歡迎的“奧巴馬”棗椰得名於美國總統巴拉克·奧巴馬，其預期售價爲每公斤（合2.2磅）25埃磅（約合4.5美元）。奧巴馬於今年六月在開羅向全世界的穆斯林發表重要講話。

在繁忙的薩耶達•柴那不區賣水果的默罕默德說：“今年人們買不起棗椰，所以我們只好把價格降到15埃磅（2.7美元）。”

爲了效仿先知穆罕默德，穆斯林通常在神聖的齋月期間每日吃一個棗椰和喝牛奶來開齋。齋戒一般從黎明開始，一直持續至黃昏。齋月的開始時間則根據月亮的盈虧來確定。

有挑棗經驗的人都知道，好的棗椰呈淡棕色，有光澤而且很甜。

“奧巴馬”棗僅次於每公斤售價18埃鎊的“高壩”棗，爲市場第二大最貴品種。和“奧巴馬”棗不相上下的是“阿布特里卡”棗，這一品種根據頗具人氣的足球中場球員穆罕默德•阿布特里卡的名字命名。阿布特里卡是埃及當地阿爾阿赫利俱樂部的球員，可見政治和足球一直都是埃及人關心的話題。

每公斤售價10埃磅（1.8美元）的“哥倫布”棗則根據上世紀70年代的一部美劇中由皮特•佛爾克飾演的謀殺案偵探哥倫布中尉而命名。這部電視劇在埃及經常重播。

埃及是全世界最大的棗椰生產國，年產量爲110萬噸。

Vocabulary:

Ramadan: the ninth month of the Muslim year, 30 days long, during which strict fasting is observed from sunrise to sunset 伊斯蘭教歷的九月，齋月（在此月間教徒白天禁食）

date: the brown, sticky fruit of the date palm, a kind of tree growing in the tropics 棗椰

landmark: having great import or significance 有重大意義的

re-run: a program that is broadcast again （電視節目的）重新播放，重播電視片