The pomegranate remains a stubbornly archaic fruit. It looks as though it has not changed significantly over the centuries, like a fruit that might appear in ancient wall paintings. To date, plant breeders have not yet remodelled it to meet supermarkets’ body fascist cosmetic specifications. Break into a pomegranate, however archaic and battered-looking, and the interior sparkles with regal, jewel-like seeds, which readily disgorge their juice – anything from blushing pink to vivid scarlet. There’s nothing like a scattering of lustrous pomegranate seeds to add a celebratory quality to a dish, be it savoury or sweet. In the mouth, pomegranate is a most three-dimensional fruit. The juicy sweetness of its seeds is tempered by a bitter, slightly tannic note and slight astringency.
When choosing pomegranates for taste, don’t head for the prettiest fruits with perfectly smooth, thick, shiny pink skins. Beautifully round, orb-like pomegranates are most likely underripe. For ripeness and sweet, dark juice, go instead for those with deeper red, mottled, slightly matt, thin, dry skin that is settling into an almost square shape, developing ever so slightly sunken sides or facets.
Things to do with pomegranates
• Juice pomegranates with oranges. The bitterness of the former balances the sweetness of the latter. Add sparkling white wine to make a gorgeous cocktail.
• The seeds from just half a pomegranate tart up a fruit salad made with less exciting fruits.
• Otherwise beige dishes involving grains, such as rice, couscous and bulgar wheat – either hot or in salads – look much more special when scattered at the last moment with pomegranate seeds.
• Pomegranate seeds look gorgeous scattered over crumbled white feta cheese, on top of a green salad.
• Oily, rich, toasted pine kernels make an inspired contrast to the bitter, juicy crunch of pomegranate seeds. Use together to bedeck grilled meats, Middle Eastern salads and grain dishes.
• Pomegranate molasses (a tart, syrupy condiment made by reducing pomegranate juice) provides a distinctive, sharp tang in many traditional Middle Eastern dishes, such as Muhammara, the Syrian pepper dip, and Fesenjan, chicken cooked in a walnut sauce.
Are pomegranates good for me?
The pomegranate’s main claim to fame on the vitamin front is as a good source of vitamin C, which helps protect cells against damage, supports the immune system and aids the absorption of iron. Otherwise, the fruit’s modern reputation for being something of a superfood rests on the phytochemicals it contains – tannins, polyphenols and anthocyanins. Some research suggests that these micronutrients have an antioxidant effect; that is, they neutralize disease-promoting free radicals in the body. As pomegranates have become quite fashionable, more research is being carried out to establish how beneficial they might be for health. Among all the current claims being made for them, so far, there is some evidence to indicate that they are good for the heart and may reduce the risk of heart disease. This chimes with the use of pomegranates in traditional Indian (Ayurvedic) medicine, where the fruit is used as a heart tonic.
Pomegranates do contain fibre, mainly of the insoluble sort. Nutritional opinion is divided on the relative merits of this type of fibre (see GRAINS/Are grains good for me?).
How are pomegranates grown?
Most of the pomegranates in our shops are grown in Spain, India, Pakistan and the Middle East. You may find Iranian and Afghan fruits in independent greengrocers. Pomegranates are also cultivated in the southern hemisphere in countries such as Peru and South Africa. Pomegranates grow as orchard fruits. Once they are picked, they are usually washed and sometimes waxed and stored in a modified atmosphere in a similar way to apples (see APPLES/How are apples grown?).
Are pomegranates a green choice?
Pomegranate trees absorb and store carbon from the atmosphere, which makes their fruits a sustainable, environment-friendly crop. Their roots also help stabilize the soil and prevent erosion. Pomegranates are a drought-tolerant crop, which makes them particularly suitable for cultivation in hot, arid areas. Thanks to their tough skins, pomegranates are quite disease-resistant and need few, if any, pesticide or fertilizer treatments, enhancing their green credentials further.
As they are a reasonably resilient fruit, pomegranates are usually transported by ship and road, not air. As pomegranates store well, even out of their season, it makes sense to stick with northern hemisphere fruits over those that have been imported from the southern hemisphere, necessitating thousands of avoidable food miles.
Where and when should I buy pomegranates?
Pomegranates from Europe, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent are in season from September until February. Outside this season, they are available from cold store. Southern hemisphere pomegranates crop from March until May.
JUICE IN YOUR EYE
Ready-prepared pomegranate seeds are now a fixture in supermarket chiller cabinets. Their popularity in this convenience form illustrates just how daunting most British and Irish people find the task of deseeding a whole fruit. How are you meant to liberate the seeds from their tough, tight red jackets? How can you avoid aerosol spraying of both the cook and the kitchen? What’s the best way to part the seeds from that spongy yellow pith?
As pomegranates have become increasingly popular, even trendy, we have grappled with the best way to deseed them. Trade bodies promoting the fruit to the time- and effort-averse modern consumer suggest no-mess techniques that involve slashing the skins, excavating the seeds under water, then draining them in a sieve. This sanitized method guarantees that you lose most of the juice. If your supermarket ‘ready to eat’ pomegranates taste insipid and dilute, they were probably processed in a deseeding machine that used water. Other helpful suggestions involve halving the fruit with a knife and then hitting each half, cut side down, with a heavy spoon or rolling pin to encourage the seeds to jump out. Some people advocate gently pummelling the whole fruit first to loosen up the seeds, but this method risks escaping juice and smashed seeds.
Both botanically and culturally, the pomegranate belongs to Iran and the Himalayan region, so for guidance on the best way to get to grips with the fruit, we can learn from Iranian, Afghan, Indian and Pakistani communities. Here, the very idea of letting the seeds come into contact with water raises eyebrows.
A favoured technique is as follows: make a shallow incision in the pomegranate with a knife, just enough so that you can then pull it apart with your fingers. Better still, break the skin with your fingernails and then pull it apart. (A ripe pomegranate will have a little ‘give’ under parts of the skin – this is where to start.) Once you have forced the fruit apart, turn the rugged halves broken side down and then pull back the skin as though you were trying to turn the fruit inside out. The seeds, which should be exposed in uneven peaks and ridges, should then pop out with relative ease. Those that resist can be coaxed out with the fingertips.
Will pomegranates break the bank?
Pomegranates give you a lot of bang for your bucks, so to speak, because although they are rarely that cheap, it doesn’t take too many seeds to make a big impact in a dish. Even half a pomegranate’s worth of seeds adds bling.
Pomegranates often represent some of the best bargains in the fruit department. They are commonly reduced when they become slightly sunken and their skin dries out a bit, but as long as they aren’t excessively so, they often taste sweeter and juicier. Don’t be put off by the appearance of battered, blemished pomegranates. As any good greengrocer will tell you, they usually taste good inside. If in doubt, buy one, split it open and check that the seeds are nice and red and not brown – an indicator of rot. If one passes the test, buy up as many more as you can afford and indulge in a pomegranate-fest.