about

The Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is a fruit bearing shrub or small tree native from Iran to the Himalayas in northern India and has been cultivated and naturalized over the whole Mediterranean region since ancient times. It is widely cultivated throughout Iran, India, the drier parts of southeast Asia, Malaya, the East Indies, and tropical Africa. Introduced into California by Spanish settlers in 1769, pomegranate is now cultivated mainly in the drier parts of California and Arizona for its fruits exploited commercially as juice products gaining in popularity since 2001.

The flowers are bright red with five petals.  The fruit is between an orange and a grapefruit in size with a rounded hexagonal shape, and has thick reddish skin and a multitude of seeds. The edible parts are the seeds and the red seed pulp surrounding them; indeed, the fruit of the pomegranate is a berry. Pomegranates are drought tolerant, and can be grown in dry areas with either a Mediterranean winter rainfall climate or in summer rainfall climates.

Abundant in vitamins A, C, E, and iron, one pomegranate contains 40% of the daily vitamin C requirement of an adult. Pomegranate is rich in folic acid, antioxidants, and polyphenols, particularly the polyphenols punicalagins which have been shown to be the responsible antioxidants in pomegranate juice for combating free radicals. In fact, the antioxidant level in pomegranate juice was found to be higher than the antioxidant level in other natural juices, such as orange juice, cranberry juice, blueberry juice, and also red wine. In clinical studies, pomegranate juice has been found to be effective in reducing systolic blood pressure and artherosclerosis and therefore the risks of cardiovascular diseases. Recent research has shown that pomegranate juice is effective against prostate cancer, breast cancer, and osteoarthritis. The antioxidants in pomegranates can further slow down the aging process.

mythology

In Greek mythology, the legend of Persephone, wife of Hades and goddess of the Underworld, involves the pomegranate. Persephone was kidnapped by Hades and taken off to live in the underworld as his wife. Her mother, Demeter, went into mourning for her lost daughter and thus all green things ceased to grow. Zeus, King of the Gods, could not leave the earth to die, so he commanded Hades to return Persephone. It was the rule of the Fates that anyone who consumed food or drink in the Underworld was doomed to spend eternity there. Persephone had no food, but Hades tricked her into eating four pomegranate seeds while she was still his prisoner and so, because of this, she was forced to spend four months in the Underworld every year. During these four months, when Persephone is sitting on the throne of the Underworld next to her husband Hades, her mother Demeter mourns and no longer gives fertility to the earth. This became an ancient Greek explanation for the seasons.  Of course the number of seeds that Persephone ate is varied, depending on which version of the story is told. The number of seeds she is said to have eaten ranges from three to seven, which accounts for just one barren season if it is just three or four seeds, or two barren seasons (half the year) if she ate six or seven seeds. There is no set number.

In the ancient and medieval worlds, pomegranates symbolized birth & death, being itself capable of bleeding. In Christian iconographic paintings, the Virgin Mary often holds Persephone's pomegranate, symbolizing Mary's authority over the death of her son, much as Athena in her dark or gorgon-like moods upheld a pomegranate in her left hand. To ancient Persians the pomegranate symbolized invincibility in battle, extending the fruit's authority over death. In Hinduism the pomegranate was considered as a symbol for fertility and prosperity, and it was revered for its beneficial qualities. It is often seen in the hands of Hindu gods and was one of nine plants offered to Durga, the 10-armed goddess of deliverance.  Kali's son, elephant-headed Ganesha, or Ganapati, is frequently seen holding a pomegranate in one of his many hands or in his elephant trunk.

In Jewish lore it was believed that Eve was tempted with a pomegranate in the Garden of Eden, and in Persian mythology Isfandiyar eats a pomegranate and becomes invincible. In Hebrew tradition, the pomegranate was said to have 613 seeds representing the 613 commandments of the Torah, and the fruit was used to decorate the Torah and its coverings. The Prophet Mohammed is said to have encouraged his followers to eat the fruit to purge envy and hatred. In China the fruit symbolized longevity, and in the mythology of ancient Babylonia, pomegranate was believed to be an agent of resurrection. In Buddhism, the pomegranate is believed to be one of the three blessed fruits, the two others being the citrus and the peach. Buddha received many valuable gifts during his life on earth, but it is said that what delighted him most was a poor old woman’s gift of a small pomegranate. It is also said that he offered a pomegranate to the demon Hariti and with it cured her of her habit of eating children.