All About Pomegranates
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Pomegranates: The Powerful & Potent Super-Fruit
Can't you just taste the sweet-tart, wine-like juiciness of pomegranates?
Pomegranates are powerful.
They're powerful in flavor, as you'll know if you've ever tasted one!
They're powerful in their beauty and symbolism. They have been celebrated throughout history in religion, mythology and art.
They're powerful in their uniqueness and variety of uses.
They're powerful in their fragrance.
And, pomegranates are powerful in their nutritional properties. They have the power to combat free radicals and reduce the signs of aging!
Spend some time here. Find out more, access other sources of information, and enjoy!
Table of Contents
- What is a Pomegranate, Anyway?
- History of the Pomegranate
- Pomegranate Symbolism
- Pomegranate Symbolism: Judaism
- Pomegranates in Judaism: References in the Hebrew Bible
- Pomegranate Symbolism: Christianity
- Pomegranate Symbolism: Islam
- Pomegranate Symbolism: Mythology
- Coming Up . . .
- Pomegrantes in Literature
- Pomegranates in Art
- Powerful Health Benefits of Pomegranates
- Palatable Pomegranates
- What's Your Favorite "Pomegranate Palatable"?
- Pomegranate Recipes
- More Pomegranate Recipes
- Yum . . .
- Preparing Pomegranates
- Yummiest Pomegranate Pics
- Pomegranates for Your Skin
- Mmmm. Breathe it in . . . and imagine the flavor!
- Enjoy the Aroma of Pomegranates!
- Pomegranates in Nature
- How Does a Pomegranate Grow?
- How Many Seeds Does a Pomegranate Have?
- Pomegranate Anatomy
- Pomegranate Varieties
- Perfect Pomegranate Products
- More Pomegranate Varieties
- Mouth Watering Goodness . . .
- Beautiful Pomegranate?
- Interesting Pomegranate Facts
- Storing Pomegranates
- Going Deeper
- More Pomegranate Sites
- Other People's Pomegranate Lenses
- More Perfect Pomegranate Products
- My Websites
- My Other Lenses
- Want to Know How to Create Some of the Elements on My Lens?
- What Do You Think?
- Love This Lens?
What is a Pomegranate, Anyway?
There are two definitions . . .

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.

History of the Pomegranate
Geography

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.
Pomegranate Symbolism
Any symbol is powerful.
A symbol transforms abstract concepts, ideas and beliefs into tangible things that we can touch, see, hear, taste, smell and understand. Symbolism brings power to the abstract concept and also to the object that symbolizes it.
Symbols touch our emotions.
They teach.
They enhance meaning.
They motivate.
But there's something more about symbolism with the pomegranate.
The pomegranate has been used throughout history and in almost every religion as a symbol of humanity's most fundamental beliefs and desires, including life and death, rebirth and eternal life, fertility and marriage, abundance and prosperity. Almost every aspect of the pomegranate has come to symbolize something . . . its shape, color, seeds, juice.
What is it about the pomegranate that appeals to humanity to such an extent?
What is it that seems to literally call to us?
What is it about the pomegranate's qualities and characteristics that give voice to these deepest, most abstract concepts, beliefs, hopes and dreams?
Well . . . let's see what its religious and mythological symbolism reveals.
Go back to the top.
Pomegranate Symbolism: Judaism
The pomegranate is popular within Judaism.
As references in the Hebrew Bible indicate, pomegranates decorated the priest's robes and the temple.
Pomegranates were eaten by the Israelites while they were in Egypt. As they traveled to the promised land, there were places without pomegranates. But the promised land would once again provide them with the luscious fruit.
Pomegranates were also used for making wine.
A legend arose within Judaism that each and every pomegranate contained 613 seeds, representing the 613 commandments of Torah.
A belief also circulated that the fruit eaten by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden was the pomegranate.
Nowadays, the crowns on top of the Torah scrolls are often made in the shape of pomegranates. Pomegranates are used during Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and are used to decorate the Sukkah (hut or tabernacle) during Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles).

Pomegranates in Judaism: References in the Hebrew Bible

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.
Pomegranate Symbolism: Christianity

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.
Pomegranate Symbolism: Islam
6:99 - It is He who sent down out of heaven water, and thereby We have brought forth the shoot of every plant, and then We have brought forth the green leaf of it, bringing forth from it close-compounded grain, and out of the palm-tree, from the spathe of it, date thick-clustered, ready to the hand, and gardens of vines, olives, pomegranates, like each to each, and each unlike to each. Look upon their fruits when they fructify and ripen!
6:141 - It is He who produces gardens trellised, and un-trellised, palm-trees, and crops diverse in produce, olives, pomegranates, like each to each and each unlike to each.
60:68 - O which of your Lord's bounties will you and you deny? Therein fruits, and palm-trees, and pomegranates.
Legend states that each pomegranate contains one seed (aril) from the pomegranate in paradise.
Pomegranate Symbolism: Mythology
The Myth of Persephone
Persephone is the daughter of Demeter (mother goddess of crops) and Zeus.
The story goes like this:
"When Persephone is carried off to the underworld by Hades, Demeter is enraged and prevents the crops from growing. To restore the natural order, Zeus arranges his daughter's release by negotiating a settlement between Demeter and Hades. But Hades had already given Persephone a pomegranate seed, and since she has eaten the food of the underworld, she is compelled to spend one-third of the year there with Hades and the other two-thirds in the world above. (The Greeks thought of the year in terms of only three seasons: spring, summer and winter). This 'deal with the devil' was always thought to explain the arrival of spring, which is when Persephone returns to earth. Her subsequent return to the underworld means the end of the growing season and the coming of winter, seen as the time of death."
So, the changing of the seasons is said to be caused by Persephone eating a pomegranate seed - - food of the underworld.
Alternatively, it is thought that this myth explains "the fate of Greek girls who were often turned over to much older men in arranged marriages. Demeter's grief over the loss of Persephone was typical of the experiences of Greek mothers who gave up their daughters in arranged marriages, usually to an older stranger."
In this sense, the pomegranate is a symbol of the indivisibility of marriage.
Quotes taken from: Don't Know Much About Mythology by Kenneth C. Davis.

Coming Up . . .
Yummy, mouth watering pomegranate recipes . . . AND . . . the most important pomegranate trick that will save you all kinds of mess!
Pomegranates in Literature
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).
Pomegranates in Art

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.
Go back to the top.
Powerful Health Benefits of Pomegranates

The pomegranate contains:
The seeds, which you can eat, contain fiber.
The pomegranate's antioxidant properties are the most well-known. Some studies show that the juice of the pomegranate has about three times the antioxidant power of green tea and red wine!
Common antioxidants in the pomegranate are vitamin C and vitamin E. Other antioxidants contained in the pomegranate are:
All of the nutrients in the pomegranate improve your body from the inside out. They may:
Palatable Pomegranates

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:
And you can add grenadine (thick pomegranate syrup) to alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks.
What's your favorite "pomegranate palatable"?
What's Your Favorite "Pomegranate Palatable"?
Pomegranate Recipes
Quinoa & Pomegranate Salad
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups quinoa, cooked
vegetable stock, optional
1 cup chick peas
seeds from 2 pomegranates
small bunch of mint
small bunch of coriander
2 limes, juiced
extra-virgin olive oil
Cook quinoa according to package directions, using vegetable stock instead of water if desired. Mix chick peas, pomegranate seeds, mint, coriander, lime juice & olive oil together. Stir in cooked, cooled quinoa. Serves 4.
Enjoy!
Pomegranate Recipes
Pomegranate Smoothie
1 cup pomegranate juice (fresh is best)
2 cups vanilla yogurt (you can use fat-free, organic . . . whatever you like)
1 banana (optional)
1 tsp ground flax seed (optional)
1 tsp honey (optional, for sweetness)
pomegranate seeds (optional)
Place ingredients in blender. Cover and blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and top with pomegranate seeds if desired. Makes 2-4 servings.
Enjoy!
Yum . . .
Visit this site for a healthy pomegranate-lentil soup and this site for a mouth-watering, totally yummy pomegranate dessert.
For a wide variety of recipes, check out the POM Wonderful site.
Preparing Pomegranates
Have you stained half your house . . . and your clothes . . . trying to get at the seeds?
Have you wondered if it's really worth it?
Well, there's a better way! And it's definitely worth it!
But first . . . many people wonder whether or not the seeds inside the juice sacs are edible.
Yes, they are.
Some people choose to eat them. Some choose to only chew them to release the juice and then spit the seeds out.
It's really your preference.
Follow these easy steps:
- Optional: using a knife, slice off the top and bottom of the pomegranate, just to remove the hard ends.
- Score in quarters with a knife, just cutting into the rind.
- Place the scored pomegranate in a large bowl of cool water.
- Break the sections apart under the water.
- Take the seeds out of the pith and the membranes (the seeds will go to the bottom of the bowl and the pith and membranes will float on top).
- Remove the pith and membranes from the top of the water.
- Drain the seeds.
- Rinse if necessary.
- Enjoy!
This video will show you this fastest and cleanest way to prepare this juicy delight.
Pomegranates for Your Skin
Of course, eating a diet rich in phytochemicals (fruits and vegetables) is recommended. But pomegranates are also great to put on your skin!
Antioxidants stabilize free radicals and the resultant damage to cells that can cause premature aging. Therefore, pomegranates can help to reduce or reverse the signs of aging - internally and externally.
Pomegranates may help to:
- reduce photoaging (damage to your skin that occurs from exposure to ultraviolet light and cause premature aging, including wrinkles)
- regenerate your skin cells
- reduce wrinkles
- support the healing of wounds which diminishes with age
- and even protect against skin cancer
Go back to the top.

Mmmm. Breathe it in . . . and imagine the flavor!
Enjoy the Aroma of Pomegranates!
Wouldn't you just love to breathe in the refreshing scent of pomegranate anytime you wanted to?
You can!
Visit my candle website!
Pomegranates in Nature
How Does a Pomegranate Grow?
View this photographic depiction of the growth process of a pomegranate from closed bud to flowering, from first expansion of the round fruit to full growth.
How Many Seeds Does a Pomegranate Have?
Pomegranate Anatomy
- Albedo - the white, fleshy pith
- Aril - the edible seed inside the juice sac
- Calyx - the crown-like structure at the top of the pomegranate
- Membrane - the transparent sac surrounding the arils
- Outer peel
Pomegranate Varieties
U.S. Varieties
- Balegal
- Cloud
- Crab
- Early Wonderful
- Fleshman
- Francis
- Granada
- Green Globe
- Home
- King
- Phoenicia
- Sweet
- Utah Sweet
- Wonderful
Perfect Pomegranate Products
Pomegranate Varieties
Varieties From Around the World
- Ahmar
- Aswad
- Alandi
- Bedana
- Dholka
- Granada Agria
- Granada de China
- Halwa
- Kabul
- Kandhari
- Malissi
- Mangulati
- Muscat Red
- Muscat White
- Paper Shell
- Poona
- Ras el Baghi
- Red Loufani
- Spanish Ruby
- Vellodu
- Wonderful

Mouth Watering Goodness . . .
Beautiful Pomegranate?
Interesting Pomegranate Facts
- In Malaysia, a pomegranate is called "buah delima," meaning "ruby fruit" (this fact is thanks to Suriani, a fellow Squidoo-er).
- The French used the word grenade (from the word for pomegranate) for an explosive device, the explosion of which resembles the scattering of pomegranate seeds!
- The pomegranate grows as a deciduous shrub.
- The shrub can grow to be 20-30 feet tall.
- There are some pomegranate shrubs/trees that are over 200 years old.
- The British Medical Association, the Royal College of Midwives, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Royal College of Physicians each use the pomegranate in their coat of arms.
- Once a pomegranate is picked, it won't ripen anymore.
- Ripe pomegranates on the tree can crack and split open after rain.
- Pomegranates are used in Middle Eastern cooking.
- A popular pomegranate dish is "Fesenjan" which is a stew made with duck or chicken, pomegranates and walnuts.
- King Tut and other Egyptians were buried with pomegranates, which gave hope of rebirth.
- The pomegranate is one of the oldest known fruits.
- The juice of a pomegranate will stain anything!
- Pomegranates are used in the coats of arms of Colombia and Granada.
- California is one of the largest producers of pomegranates.
- California pomegranate production was begun by a Jewish couple who then created the Pom Wonderful company.
- It is thought that pomegranates contain more antioxidants than green tea or red wine.
- The pomegranate is categorized as a superfruit because of its nutritional properties.
- A common misspelling is "pomegranite."
- Pomegranate trees are cultivated as ornamentals as well as for their fruit.
- The pomegranate is self-pollinated and also cross-pollinated by insects.
- The fruit only grows at the tips of new growth branches.
- The fruit of the pomegranate is actually a berry.
- There is a dwarf variety of the pomegranate that is often used as a Bonsai tree or a patio plant.
- The seeds make up over 50% of the weight of a pomegranate.
- The pomegranate is one of the national symbols of Armenia
- There's a band called "Pomegranate."
- In Jewish tradition, it's said that each pomegranate has 613 seeds, representing the 613 commandments of Torah.
Go back to the top.
Storing Pomegranates

- Pomegranates will keep for several months in the fridge or other cold location.
- Fresh pomegranate juice can be kept in the fridge for 2-3 days.
- Pomegranate arils can be frozen in an airtight freezer bag or container for up to a year.
Go Deeper
Learn More About Pomegranate Properties
- Doctor's Lounge - Antioxidants
- Learn more about antioxidants.
- Doctor's Lounge - Free Radicals
- Learn more about free radicals.
- Wikipedia - Antioxidants
- Continue to make sense of antioxidants.
- POM Wonderful - Health Benefits
- Discover more about the health benefits of pomegranates, including the benefits from antioxidants.
More Pomegranate Sites
- Pomegranate Seeds
- How many seeds does a pomegranate have? Do they all have the same amount? Do smaller pomegranates have less seeds than larger pomegranates? Find out here.
- Tempting Your Tastebuds
- Visit this site for plenty of tantalizing pomegranate recipes.
- Pomegranate Juice Review
- Check this blog post for a review of pomegranate juice and a bit of info about pomegranates.
Other People's Pomegranate Lenses
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Pomegranate Power: The Benefits of Pomegranate Juice
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- the original forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden - the new one-a-day that keeps doctors away (First for Women on the Go) - better than your morning cup of coffee - a heart attack-buster - three times as beneficial as red wine and green tea - a choles...
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I Love Pomegranates
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Sweet, sour, crunchy, juicy, and good for your bod -- let's celebrate the perfect pom! (And yes, you CAN eat the little seeds!) Pomegranate recipes from RecipeZaar Pomegranate guide from FoodNetwork.com Pomegranate recipes from marthastew...
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Pure Californian Pomegranate Juice
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Pure Californian Pomegranate Juice from Healthwize is rich in polyphenol antioxidants which help prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol and the subsequent build up of plaque in the arteries. Rich in Polyphenol Antioxidants for Cardiovascular Health...
More Perfect Pomegranate Products
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Visit Sojourn's page to learn how to add all kinds of cool HTML to your lens and how to create tabs. Visit GreekGeek's page to learn all about making a fancy table of contents.What Do You Think?
shevans wrote...
Wow, you really know your pomengranates. This is a great lens. I am going out to start adding these fruits to my diet.
Snozzle wrote...
Now that's what you call a quality lens - excellent. I haven't had a pomegranate for many years and look what I've been missing.
GrowWear wrote...
Superb lens! A neighbor of ours had a tree right next to the back of their house in a little out-of-the-way spot. We'd sit in the shade and eat theses little treasures. Very good memory, there. Thank you! I appreciate this great resource all about pomegranates.
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