All About Pomegranates

The Tree:

First, "pomegranate" refers to the spiny, deciduous shrub or tree that is cultivated for its fruit (the fruit is probably what you usually think of as a pomegranate).

The tree has bright green, glossy, leathery, short-stemmed, oblong leaves that are anywhere from 3 to 7 centimeters long and about 2 centimeters broad. The leaves are opposite, or sub-opposite, or in whorls of 5 or 6.

The flowers of the tree are called Balaustines and are bright red or orange with 3-7 petals. The flowers are approximately 3 centimeters in diameter. They grow on the tips of the branches singly or in clusters of up to 5. They have a thick, tubular, red calyx with 5-8 pointed sepals from which the petals emerge. The petals enclose numerous stamen.

The Fruit:

Secondly, the word "pomegranate" refers to the fruit, which is actually a berry.

The word "pomegranate" is from the Latin "pomum granatum" which means "apple of many seeds." That gives a pretty good description!

Except for the crown-like structure at the top (or is it the bottom??) of the pomegranate, called the calyx, the pomegranate looks similar to an apple on the outside - it's about the same size, or slightly larger, it's relatively round (actually somewhat hexagonal) and its thick leathery skin is reddish (sometimes there's also yellow, pink, orange or green). The outer peel, or skin, of a pomegranate is called the rind.

Inside there are many seeds encased in a juicy sac, called arils. These arils are set in membranous compartments (called membrane) and surrounded by white, fleshy pith, called albedo.

Pomegranates are one of the oldest fruits.

The pomegranate is native to Persia (now Iran).

It was cultivated in Egypt around the time of Moses and existed very early in India.

The pomegranate was brought to China around 100 BCE.

The Romans called the pomegranate a Punic apple because it arrived in Italy by way of Carthage (Punic). Its Latin name is Punica granatum (Carthage seeds).

The Moors brought pomegranates to Spain around 800 CE and the city of Granada was named for the pomegranate.

Spanish settlers brought the pomegranate to the U.S. in 1769 according to some sources.

It's now widely grown in the U.S., Malaysia, Southern Europe, Egypt, China, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, India, Burma, Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Exodus 28:33-34 - Make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them. The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe.

Numbers 13:23 - When they reached the Valley of Eshcol, they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs.

Numbers 20:5 - Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates.

Deuteronomy 8:7-8 - For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land - a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey.

1 Samuel 14:2 - Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree in Mignon.

1 Kings 7:18, 20 - He made pomegranates in two rows encircling each network to decorate the capitals on top of the pillars. . . . On the capitals of both pillars, above the bowl-shaped part next to the network, were the two hundred pomegranates in rows all around.

Song of Songs 8:2 - I would lead you and bring you to my mother's house - she who has taught me. I would give you spiced wine to drink, the nectar of my pomegranates.

Haggai 2:19 - Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit.

The pomegranate is often seen in paintings and statues of the Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus.

It's a symbol of resurrection and everlasting life.

Pomegranates are powerful in religious writings, as you can see above. But they're also powerful in other literature.

Pliny wrote about how to preserve pomegranates.

Homer referred to pomegranates in his "Garden of Alcinous."

Shakespeare wrote of nightingales singing in pomegranate trees (Romeo and Juliet) and of picking kernals out of pomegranates (All's Well that Ends Well).

Paul Cezanne's "Ginger Pot With Pomegranates and Pears" and Pablo Picasso's "La Grenade" both capture the beauty and power of the pomegranate.

The painting shown here was done by Elaine Kehew and can be seen at PhotoBucket.

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The pomegranate contains:

• potassium


• vitamin A


• B vitamins (niacin - B3; pantothenic acid - B5; folic acid - B9)


• vitamin C


• vitamin E


• and iron

There are a variety of ways to eat pomegranates.

Of course, the best way to take advantage of the pomegranate's powerful properties, is to eat the arils (the seeds encased in a juice sac) raw. You can also drink pomegranate juice. Fresh is best.

However, you can use pomegranates in almost any dish!

There are recipes for:

• pomegranate glazed salmon


• chicken stewed in pomegranates


• grilled beef with pomegranate marmalade


• pomegranate biscuits and muffins


• pomegranate pancakes


• and more