Wednesday January 21, 2009

Pomegranate

Because I enjoyed learning about mangoes – and tasting one, I bought two more. 

I also decided to learn about Pomegranates.

I knew almost nothing about pomegranates, and am not aware that I ever tasted a fresh one.

 This fruit originated in tropical Asia but has been cultivated throughout the Mediterranean and the Middle East. History credits Spanish padres with bringing pomegranates to California more than 200 years ago.

I understood that I would only be eating the seeds, but had no idea what to expect when I opened the fruit.

When you split the hard fruit open, a mass of red seeds in a spongy white membrane is revealed. Only the seeds, with their sweet-tart flavor and juice squirting texture, are edible.

Scientists say the leathery-skinned, orange-sized fruit with the sweet-tart juice may help with heart disease, cancer and problems associated with aging. It’s loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, potassium, folic acid and iron. 

I was pleasantly surprised at the taste of these fruity seeds.  Cerwin wasn’t real impressed with eating seeds.   It was easy for me to bite into the seed to release the flavor, then swallow it.  However, Cerwin felt that he had to chew it until there was no fruit left on the seed – then spit it out.

The ruby colored fruit we refer to as seeds are called arils. Each aril is a delicious sac of juice that surrounds a seed. Pomegranates contain 840 arils that are compartmentalized between shiny, tough membranes. Whether you swallow the seeds or spit them out is a matter of personal preference.

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I will definitely buy this fruit again sometime, but probably not as often as mangoes – partially because of the price.

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