Pomegranate: Forbidding Fruit No More

by Judy Sobeloff, from the December 2003 newsletter

Yet even in the cold darkness beneath the earth, a young girl can feel hungry. [Persephone] saw the seeds glistening ruby red in their creamy beds. She took the fruit and raised it to her lips. Her teeth bit into the pomegranate’s brittle, blushing skin and she sucked out the veins of sweetness. Hades smiled.
-- Richard Woff, Bright-Eyed Athena

A pomegranate is probably not the first food you think of when seeking a casual snack. Might I suggest, instead, a banana? The pomegranate, “nature’s most labor intensive fruit,” (allrecipes.com), has some heavy strikes against it. It’s because Persephone ate a few pomegranate seeds after being kidnapped down to the underworld (it’s a long story) that we have winter at all. It’s a fertility symbol, too, which puts some people off their feed. And if that’s not enough, how do you open those things and what do you do with them once opened?

Mentioned in the Old Testament as well as Greek mythology, pomegranates are ancient. The word “pomegranate” comes from Middle French and means “apple with many seeds.” Pomegranate syrup is called grenadine, and the word “grenade” comes from the same root (pomegranateconnection.com). If you’ve ever opened (exploded?) a pomegranate without training and watched the seeds scattering and juice splattering around you, you'll appreciate the connection.

Grown throughout Asia and the Mediterranean, domestic pomegranates come primarily from California. To grow one at home, check out the simple instructions at www.recipegoldmine.com.

Pomegranates look like big red apples with little crowns on top. Inside, separated by white membranes, are little compartments containing clusters of seeds, each surrounded by its own brilliant translucent red juice sac, or aril. Oddly enough, every pomegranate, regardless of size, allegedly has 840 seeds (rockymountainnews.com).

As with coconuts, it’s not immediately obvious how to gain access to the goods. I first tried the grenade method, ripping the pomegranate apart like a wild animal. This worked alright, but I suggest not wearing white unless you’re doing performance art. The next time I followed instructions from www.wishfaery.com to cut the pomegranate in half crosswise, which made a pretty flower pattern, and lifted out the seed clusters still inside their membranes: civilized and effective. Other instructions advised making several vertical cuts into the pomegranate and then pulling it apart under water; this worked but did not seem as sporting as method two.

As if the pomegranate isn’t already shrouded in sufficient mystery and intrigue, something strange happens when you taste the seeds. Joe said, “They’re juicy when you first bite into them and then instantly dry up.” Carol thought the seeds were good “if you chew gently, if you don't bite down too hard, because then you get the juice before you get to the seed.” Amy described the experience as similar to drinking a dry red wine.

Fortunately, this particular pomegranate issue appears to be resolved when the seeds are mixed in with other foods, yielding the juiciness without the follow-up dryness. Serving suggestions include using the seeds with salads, desserts, rice, chicken, or pancakes. I chose two recipes with similar ingredients but completely different overall tastes: pomegranate yogurt dip and pomegranate guacamole. Both were easy to make and surprisingly good; the guacamole was fantastic. Tasting the guacamole, Joe said, “There’s a really nice combination of sour from the pomegranate and sweetness from the cucumber going on, with these two main ingredients balancing the whole thing out.” I agree, though I think the pomegranate lends sweetness as much as the cucumber. Eating the pomegranate guacamole on a salty chip makes the whole taste sensation even more complex, charismatic, and tasty.

I thought children would be enticed by the pomegranate’s sweet juiciness and great beauty, but this was only the case above a certain age. Dylan, age 10, liked the seeds, describing them as “sour and crunchy.” Zevi, age eight, and Louis, age six, also liked them, but Zoe, age four, said, “It's too hot inside,” and Jonna, age two, said, “Yucky, seed in my mouth.” I suddenly remembered having read that it takes toddlers seven tries to accept a new food, but over the next several days, Jonna had the same distressed look every time.

O pomegranate, O poem of garnet! Despite the challenges, the allure of the seed and of the pomegranate itself cannot be denied.

POMEGRANATE GUACAMOLE (from 1001recipes2send.com)

2 ripe avocados, peeled and pits removed
1 pomegranate
1/2 cup diced cucumbers
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
assorted tortilla chips

Dice avocados. Fold in pomegranate seeds, cucumber, green onion, and cilantro. Add salt and pepper to taste. Gently toss with lemon juice. Serve with tortilla chips.

YOGURT AND POMEGRANATE DIP WITH CILANTRO (adapted from wishfaery.com)

1 large ripe pomegranate
2 cups chilled plain yogurt
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
fresh mint sprigs, for garnish

Cut the pomegranate in half crosswise and lift out the seeds in sections, then pull the seeds off the membranes. In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, scallions, and cilantro. Gently fold in all but 2 tablespoons of the pomegranate seeds. Garnish with mint sprigs and the reserved pomegranate seeds. Serve with warm pita bread or steamed vegetables.

REFERENCES
http://www.allrecipes.com/encyc/terms/P/7993.asp
http://www.1001recipes2send.com/db/detail_page.cgi?ID=1157
http://www.pomegranateconnection.com/history.html
http://www.recipegoldmine.com/childgarden/childgarden6.html
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/food/article/0,1299,DRMN_27_2381096,00.html
http://www.wishfaery.com/recipes/yogurt_pomegranate_dip.html
Woff, Richard. Bright-Eyed Athena: Stories from Ancient Greece. London: British Museum Press, 1999.

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