Mysterious yet cheerful pomegranates
I was talking to my friend Brian about pomegranates… I don’t remember eating one as a child, but when I ate one a little while ago the flavour was so reminiscent that maybe i did have them. They have such an attractive exterior, hard and vari-coloured and mysterious yet cheerful, and cut them open and they are full of jewels! They look wonderful in a couscous, shining out of the golden grain like Christmas tree lights!
They come from Iran originally, but now are cultivated all over the world wherever there is a climate suitable. I’m not surprised they have beautiful flowers too, some species are grown as non-fruiting just for the blossom which is bright red. The juice was popular across the Middle East, especially in Armenia (maybe I shall have to include some on the menu of the imaginary Armenian café in my latest story!) and the original Grenadine was pomegranate juice, although now it is just a trade name for a sweet red syrup. You can buy pomegranate presses, if you so desire to press your own juice, I think I might just buy it! What is more, pomegranates are rich in vitamins C and K, and also contain many polyphenols… whatever they are!
There are many customs, traditions, recipes, and other uses (including Christmas decorations) for this amazing fruit… here’s a site which shares some:
Lois Elsden 