Pomegranates: The Crown Jewel of the Fruit World

The pomegranate is perhaps the most celebrated, fascinating, and mysterious fruit in the world. For centuries it has appeared and been mentioned in myths, legends, religious traditions, and historical accounts in countries around the world. The outer red skin of a pomegranate is thick, vibrant, and leathery. Inside is a spongy white membrane studded with hundreds of plump, juicy seeds.

Pomegranates figure in some way in virtually every religion known to man. Some religious scholars even believe that the pomegranate was the actual fruit of temptation in the Garden of Eden, instead of an apple. Pomegranate is one of the "seven species," the types of fruits and grains designated in the Hebrew Bible as being special products of the Land of Israel. Pomegranates are found in Christian religious decorations and are often woven into the fabric of vestments and liturgical hangings or wrought in metalwork. The fruit, broken or split open, is seen as a symbol of the suffering and resurrection of Jesus, and in religious paintings it is often depicted in the hands of the Virgin Mary.

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, pomegranate seeds are used in kolyva, a dish prepared for memorial services, as a symbol of the sweetness of the heavenly kingdom. In Jewish tradition, the pomegranate is a symbol for righteousness, and many Jews eat pomegranates on Rosh Hashanah. It is also considered to be a symbol of fruitfulness. The pomegranate is one of the few images that appear on ancient coins of Judea as a holy symbol, and many modern Torah scrolls are stored with a pair of decorative hollow silver pomegranates placed over the two upper scroll handles. The Islamic faith holds that pomegranates grow in the gardens of paradise. The Qur’an mentions pomegranates twice as examples of good things God creates.

Carbonized remains of pomegranates have been identified in the Early Bronze Age levels of the city of Jericho, as well as Late Bronze Age levels of Cyprus. A large, dry pomegranate was discovered in the tomb of the butler of Queen Hatshepdut, and Mesopotamian cuneiform records mention pomegranates as early as the third millennium. Ancient civilizations revered the pomegranate for various reasons. The city of Granada in Spain was named for the fruit during the Moorish period. Spanish colonists later introduced the pomegranate to Latin America and the Caribbean, but in England it was introduced as an exotic fruit and it did not set fruit when planted there. So it was introduced into the American colonies, including New England, where it also did not flourish. But it succeeded in the South. Thomas Jefferson planted pomegranates at Monticello in 1771.

The seeds of a pomegranate, when freed from the membrane encasing them, are good eaten by hand and in numerous salads and dishes. Pomegranate juice is good in martinis and other cocktails, mixed with cranberry juice, or on its own. The fruit has often been called a "super fruit" in that it is high in potent free-radical-fighting antioxidants called polyphenols. Pomegranates are good sources of potassium and fiber, so they are beneficial for treating and preventing prostate cancer, breast cancer, and heart disease. Pomegranate juice has also been shown to reduce systolic blood pressure, inhibit viral infections, and may have antibacterial effects against dental plaque and other sclerotic illnesses. In Arabic countries, pomegranates are used to cure mouth ulcers.

The pomegranate is truly a fruit of the world. It is the official logo of many cities in Turkey, and is one of the symbols of Armenia, representing abundance, fertility, and marriage. In Mexico, pomegranate seeds are an essential ingredient of chiles en nogada, a popular dish that symbolizes the red sections of the national flag. Pomegranates are displayed on coins from the ancient city of Side, Pamphlia. The pomegranate is widely grown in Japan, China, and Korea because it is widely used for bonsai because of its flowers and the unusual twisted bark of older specimens. The red rose-like flowers of the pomegranate taste bitter and are used as an astringent in folk medicine. Pomegranate juice is used in many countries for the natural dyeing of non-synthetic fabrics.

The pomegranate has held a position of power in the religion, tradition, and culture of societies the world over for centuries. So next time you walk past a bin brimming with these crown jewels of the fruit world, give a thought to how rich their history is and how important they have been to mankind and will continue to be for centuries to come.