Deglet Nour Dates of Tolga

Deglet Nour means finger of light, and the name describes the fruit: a slender, semi-dry date that turns translucent amber when ripe, so that held up to the sun the stone shows through the flesh. The palm groves around Tolga, west of Biskra on the northern edge of the Sahara, are the centre of its production in Algeria, and the variety carries a protected designation tied to that origin. Harvest runs through the autumn, when the bunches are cut from the tops of the palms, sorted and packed, and the roadside stalls and markets fill with fresh dates on the branch, which are a different thing from the dried ones sold the rest of the year.

What you actually see

• Translucent amber fruit - the stone visible through the flesh in sunlight.
• Palm groves around Tolga - the oases the variety comes from.
• Autumn harvest - bunches cut from the tops of the palms.
• Dates sold on the branch - the fresh form found only in season.

When to go

October to December for the harvest and the fresh fruit. Half a day around Tolga and the Biskra markets. Buy loose by weight rather than boxed.

Honest expectations

Boxed export dates are often glucose-coated and a poor guide to the fruit. Summer in the region is extremely hot and the groves are working farmland, not visitor attractions. Prices for the best grades are high even locally.

Nearby

Biskra is east; El Kantara gorge lies north.