Pomegranate Seed

The pomegranate is a deciduous shrub or small tree, 5 to 8 metres tall, with glossy narrow leaves and orange-red flowers. The round fruit has a thick, leathery skin and is divided by white membranes into chambers holding hundreds of seeds, each surrounded by a translucent juicy red or pink aril. The arils taste sweet to tart, and the seeds inside are edible and slightly crunchy. Dried arils turn dark and sticky with a sharp, sour taste. The seeds also yield an oil rich in punicic acid.

Pomegranate is native to a region from Iran to northern India and has been cultivated since ancient times throughout the Mediterranean, the Middle East and South Asia. Iran, India, Turkey, Spain and the United States, particularly California, produce much of the world's crop. The tree prefers hot dry summers and mild winters, and tolerates poor soils. Fruits ripen in autumn, and commercial varieties such as Wonderful are common in markets.

Pomegranates appear in ancient Mesopotamian and Egyptian records and in the art and writings of the Greeks, Persians and other cultures, often as a symbol of fertility and abundance. The fruit appears in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran and in the Greek myth of Persephone. It spread along trade routes and was cultivated in Spain under Muslim rule, where the city of Granada took its name from the fruit.

The Spanish took pomegranates to the Americas in the sixteenth century. Modern production expanded greatly from the 2000s, when pomegranate juice became a popular health drink in North America. Whole fruits are sold fresh in autumn, and ready-to-eat arils are available in tubs. Dried seeds, anardana, remain a traditional souring agent in India and Iran, where they are used as an alternative to tamarind or amchur.

Fresh arils are sprinkled on salads, yoghurt, grain bowls and desserts, mixed into salsas and used to garnish roasted meats and dips such as hummus. In Persian cooking they are essential to fesenjan stew and in Levantine dishes. Pomegranate juice and molasses are used for sauces and marinades. Dried seeds, ground or whole, add tartness to chutneys, curries and chaats, such as chana masala. To release the arils, cut the fruit in half and tap the back with a spoon while holding it over a bowl.

Pomegranate arils provide vitamin C, vitamin K, folate and potassium, and fibre when the seeds are eaten whole. They also contain polyphenols, including punicalagins and anthocyanins, which are being studied for effects on blood pressure and inflammation, but the clinical evidence is not conclusive. Arils contain natural sugars, so portions matter for people monitoring carbohydrate intake. Juice has less fibre than whole arils.