Food

A Healthier Alternative to Luxurious Chocolate This Valentine’s Day

Bateel is bringing premium, organic, Saudi Arabian dates to the global marketplace.

An assortment of Khidri, Kohla, and Wanan dates from Bateel includes fillings such as candied orange peel, pistachios, roasted almonds, and caramelized macadamia nuts. — An assortment of Khidri, Kohla, and Wanan dates from Bateel includes fillings such as candied orange peel, pistachios, roasted almonds, and caramelized macadamia nuts.
Photographer: Evan Ortiz/Bloomberg

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By Donna Abu-Nasr and Kate Krader

February 6, 2020 at 8:53 AM UTC

Until recently, Valentine’s Day was effectively banned in Saudi Arabia in practice, if not by law. Fearing detention by powerful religious authorities, businesses went so far as to expel red products from flower stores and gift shops in the days leading up to Feb. 14, merely to remove all hints of romance.

Now, Saudi Arabia is the unlikely source of a luxurious, if unconventional, Valentine’s Day gift: premium dates.