Foodie Friday: Pomegranates

Pomegranates are in prime ripeness in early fall so, Foodie Friday this week is all about the Pomegranate. As a unique fruit, we don’t eat the outside peel, or even the inside, but the juicy pop-in-your mouth seeds with a tangy, sweet flavor are irresistible if you’re the type that enjoys when fruit “pops” in your mouth.

Many of us have never had a pomegranate, but for pomegranate lovers, and newcomers here are some fun facts I bet you didn’t know:

• The pomegranate is also known as a Granada in Spanish and a Grenade in French, probably because of the fact that it explodes like a grenade in your mouth exuding lots of juice from just one little seed ( grenades are small as well). Other names: Chinese Apple, Punic Apple, Granatapfel, Melograno, and Melagrana.
• The seeds are called Arils, each pomegranate contains up 800 arils! That’s a lot of juice.
• The taste of the juice depends on the ripeness, and can range from tangy/sour to sweet.
• The Pomegranate is native from Iran all the way to the Himalayas. It has been cultivated all through the Mediterranean since ancient times.
• As for the nutritional aspect, the pomegranate is excellent source of antioxidants which prevent hardening of the arteries, therefore reducing the risk of heart disease.
• Pomegranates are also an excellent source of B vitamins (Thiamin, Niacin and Riboflavin) which are also beneficial to heart health.

Sources: http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/pomegranate.html

http://www.juicing-for-health.com/pomegranate.html

Assistance provided by: Christina Wolfe