Appearance & Taste

The pomegranate is roundish, usually varying from 2.5 inches to 5 inches wide, and is crowned at the base by a prominent bell shaped head. The tough, leathery skin on the outside is typically yellow overlaid with a light to deep pink or a rich red.

On the interior, the fruit is separated into compartments by membranous walls and whitish yellow spongy tissues, which are packed with red coloured sacs. In each sac there is one angular, soft or hard seed surround by ruby red juice, giving its colour. Hence the reason why these little sacs are often described as little red rubies.

The taste of a pomegranate is dependant on the variety of pomegranate and its state of ripeness. It can be very sweet or it can be very sour or tangy, but most pomegranates are mixture of the both.

Where It Comes From

The pomegranate is native from Iran and the Himalayas in northern India. It was cultivated and naturalized over the whole Mediterranean region since ancient times. It is now widely grown throughout Iran, India, Turkey, Spain, Tunisia, Morocco, China, Greece, Japan, Cyprus and Egypt to name a few places.

Health Benefits

The Pomegranate has been touted as a superfruit due to its amazing health properties. This is because Pomegranates are rich in Potassium, folic acid, Vitamins (rich in Vitamin C) and Antioxidants called polyphenols (some studies suggest that they contain 3 times more antioxidants than red wine or green tea).

Antioxidants are chemical substances which help in the prevention of cellular damage (said to be a common pathway for cancer, heart problems, aging, and a variety of diseases) and are the main reason for the big obsession.

Much research has been done to show that Pomegranates may be able to reduce blood pressure, LDL cholesterol build up and even slow down prostate cancer.

Uses

Apart from eating fresh:

• Pomegranates are used to make Juice which is consumed around the world
• Grenadine syrup is thickened and sweetened pomegranate juice, which is used in mixing cocktail.
• Wild pomegranate seeds are sometimes used as a spice, known as anardana (which literally means pomegranate (anar) seeds (dana) in Persian), most notably in Indian and Pakistani cuisine but also as a replacement for pomegranate syrup in Persian and Middle Eastern cuisine.
• The seeds are also sometimes used to make chutneys, Jams, Marmalades etc.
• Pomegranate juice and seeds are used to make toppings, sauces and dips for many types of food including ice cream, yogurt, salads etc.
• Pomegranate juice is used for natural dyeing of non-synthetic fabrics.
  

Fruit Facts

• Iran is the largest grower of pomegranates in the world.
• The ancient city of Granada in Spain was renamed after the fruit during the Moorish period. Spanish colonists later introduced the fruit to the Caribbean and Latin America.
• The extraordinary fruit has been around for centuries. Historical evidence suggests that pomegranates are the oldest cultivated fruit with pomegranate trees first planted around 3000BC.
• Biblical scholars believe that it was the pomegranate fruit which prompted the ‘original sin’ when Eve handed the fruit to Adam in the Garden of Eden.
• The fruit was one of the main symbols of the Greek Goddess of love, Aphrodite.
• Jewish tradition teaches that the pomegranate is a symbol for righteousness, because it is said to have 613 seeds, which corresponds with the 613 mitzvot or commandments of the Torah. It is this reason, why many Jews eat pomegranates on Rosh Hashanah.
• The Qur'an (the book holy to muslims) mentions pomegranates three times - twice as examples of the good things God creates, once as a fruit found in the Garden of Paradise.

How to prepare to eat

1. Choose a pomegranate heavy for its size.
2. Cut off the crown at the base of the pomegranate
3. Next, Make a shallow cut (score) in the pomegranate skin from the top (where you cut the crown off) to the base. Repeat this process so that you have 5 evenly spaced cuts.
4. Place in a bowl of water and wait for 5 minutes.
5. While holding the pomegranate under the water, pull the fruit apart. The pomegranate should divide where you made the scores in the skin. This reduces the messiness.
6. Now, gently pull out the seeds into the water using your fingers
7. Leave this for a while, you will find the seeds will fall to the bottom of the water and the skin and membrane to the top. Take the skin and membrane out using a spoon.
8. Drain the water from the bowl or pour all the contents into a sieve above the sink.
9. Finally, rinse the pomegranate seeds briefly under cold water. They are now ready to eat.