If you can’t afford ‘Ghost’, buy yourself a pound of George W. Bush instead. It’s going to be less juicy and sweet, but definitely the cheapest option in Egypt this year.

The least expensive kinds of dates sold in Egyptian markets this year are named after George W. Bush. The stall holders believe it’s their revenge for US actions in Iraq and the Palestinian territories.

Tradition has it that every year on the eve of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, fruit sellers give dates all sorts of new names.

The best ones are usually honoured with the names of popular actors, singers and politicians, while the cheapest sorts are tagged with the names of people loathed in the Arab world.

At a Cairo stall you can buy a kilogram of George W. Bush dates for only seven Egyptian pounds (US $1.2), while the best dates of the year are proudly called Shabakh, which translates as ‘Ghost’, and cost up to 40 Egyptian pounds per kilo (US $7.3).

At a cost of 14 pounds a kilo, Lebanese diva Nancy Adjram leads in the ‘dates contest’ among Arab pop-stars.

Dates are a must-have treat during the holy month of Ramadan, and the evening meal after the day’s fast starts with dates and milk.