What dates are famous in Morocco (Medjool) and how are they eaten?

Drive south toward the desert and you pass through ribbons of date palms — the great oases of the Draa and Tafilalt valleys around Zagora and Erfoud — and the dates that come from them are among the finest on earth. The undisputed king is the Mejhoul (you'll know it as Medjool): huge, glossy and so soft the flesh tastes like toffee, with a deep perfume of honey and dried fruit. Biting through that fudgy sweetness, warm from a market stall in the south, is one of the simple great pleasures of a Moroccan trip.

But the real story of Moroccan dates is in how they're eaten, because they're far more than a snack — they're a thread of ritual that runs through daily life. The first thing many homes do to welcome a guest is set down a plate of dates and a bowl of milk or buttermilk; accepting one is accepting their hospitality, and it's a gesture you may well receive on your travels. It's a quiet, ancient code of welcome, older than any restaurant.

At celebrations they turn festive: split and stuffed with bright green almond paste or walnut, sometimes rolled in sesame, and arranged on sweet platters with other treats. In the kitchen they melt into savoury cooking too — a tagine of lamb with dates, caramelised onions and toasted almonds is rich, glossy and faintly sweet, a dish made for special occasions. And during Ramadan, dates have a sacred role: the fast is traditionally broken at sunset with a couple of dates and some milk or water before the bowl of harira, because they gently and quickly restore the body.

My advice is to buy your dates in the south, where they're freshest, cheapest and sold by variety — ask specifically for Mejhoul if you want the showstopper, and pick up a small mix of others to taste the range. They travel home beautifully, and arriving with a box of real oasis Mejhoul makes you the most popular person in any room.