10 Arabic songs that use fruit to describe love

To understand food's prominent status in Arab culture, take a look at these popular songs. They use different types of fruits to describe anything from infatuation with a beautiful lady to a failed relationship, to leaving love behind.  

Saad Al Sagheer thinks that ladies are as beautiful and sweet as any kind of fruit, from mango to bananas to grapes. 

“I’m a fruit seller and I love fruits, and I die for bananas and mango."

“Lips as red as berries” is the line Wafiq Habib used to win his lady over!

“Die with envy berries because you will never be good as the berries on her lips."

Probably the most famous (and infamous) Arab fruit song in recent history... In this Iraqi song a beautiful lady is like an orange hanging from a tree: desirable but unreachable.

Sometimes pomegranate is the best way to describe a failed relationship. It just disintegrates and falls apart like the seeds of pomegranate … seed after seed!

This song teaches you that: If your lover wants apples but you don’t have any, then maybe you need to become a farmer and plant all types of fruits to keep her/him happy. Talk about dedication and demanding partners.

Fruits can also be used to celebrate the union between two countries. Who knew? Sabah sang this song in 1958 to say that the apricots of Hama (the Syrian city) can now be found in Cairo. The song celebrated the union between Egypt and Syria which was established in 1958 (but would only last until 1961). 

“Your cheeks are as bright and red as grapes”… we’ll happily take this fruity compliment any day!

In Arabic, adding “bala battikh” or “no watermelon” at the end of any sentence means that you don’t give a flying fig about anything, and in Fares Karam’s case, about love.

If you are as beautiful and sweet as a pineapple then don’t pass by Ahmad Adawiya or Ragheb Alama on the “cobri”. They will not resist flirting with you.

When you describe someone as being “minty” that means they are awesome, cool and fresh as mint.