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Which fruit has a gem named after it?

Which fruit is known as the “fruit of the dead” by Greek myths; represents prosperity to the Egyptians; is believed by some Jewish scholars to be the “forbidden fruit” from the Garden of Eden, not the apple; and is believed to represent fertility to Persians, Armenians, Chinese, and in Hinduism?

Which fruit’s flower is pictured here?

I remember the first pomegranate I had as a kid. I remember my mom gave my sister and I each half, and then sent us outside to pick out the seeds to eat. I also remember that she never gave us another. I now understand why. They are messy!

But I recently started eating them again and have been given tips by a few friends on how to better get the seeds out. It’s still a bit messy and I wear an apron now, as the first time I extracted the seeds, the lovely red juice ended up decorating my shirt, my sock, and my dog. A beautiful red for sure and our word garnet comes from the colour of the seeds in a “poumgarnet”. However, here are the tips I was given to make it a less bloody process.

– cut the pomegranate in half
– score the edges of each of the halves
– over a bowl in your sink, pry open  the pomegranate enough to loosen up the seeds
– hold one of the halves open side in your palm over the bowl
– take a big spoon and whack the rounded side of the pomegranate, allowing the seeds to fall between your fingers into the bowl

I have also been told to do this in a bowl of water and by cutting the pomegranate into quarters instead of halves.

Why go through so much “trouble” to get at these seeds? Because the sweetness and tartness of them is yummy. And because they are loaded with antioxidants, vitamin C, folic acid, potassium, and phytonutrients that may help prevent heart disease and cancer.

How do you select them? Look for fruit that feel heavy, so that they will contain more juice. Their skin should not be dry or wrinkly. These are not local fruits for us in Canada as they thrive in subtropical climates, but they are good to have on occasion, and I like sprinkling the seeds on salads or on coconut or almond yogurt with granola, as pictured here.

 

My recipe for the granola can be found here.