How to Eat a Pomegranate
You know they are delicious and nutritious and even worth a sojourn into the underworld, but do you know how to eat a pomegranate? Can you effectively open it without a sledgehammer? It's actually not as challenging as it may appear!
How to Eat a Pomegranate
Although it comes in juice form, jelly, chutney and even in seeds in a plastic box, the most satisfying way to eat a pomegranate is to break open the fruit and extract the seeds yourself. For those daunted by the cost of pomegranate juice, this is also the most cost-effective method.
Like some other wonderful foods such as mangoes, coconuts, pumpkins, and mangosteens, pomegranates take a bit of work to enjoy. They can also be extraordinarily messy! Until you get the hang of cutting them open and extracting the seeds, don't handle them while wearing anything you don't want to turn red.
Gather a sharp knife, cutting board and large bowl of water. Next, cut off the top of the pomegranate (also known as the crown). You can also cut off the other end for ease of handling if you like. You will notice that the fruit has ridges down the side, or some white membrane. Slice down, not too deep, into each of these sides. This process is called scoring. You don't have to do much - just create sections.
Submerge the fruit in water and gently pull it apart. For those who have tried to work with pomegranates before, you know they can squirt like a grapefruit but leave red stains for life. Opening them in the water prevents squirting and staining. The edible seeds (actually, these are "arils" - little juice sacs that surround the seeds) will sink to the bottom and the inedible white shell will float on the top. You may now use a slotted spoon or strainer to scoop up the seeds and use as you wish.
Why Eat a Pomegranate?
It is well and good to know how to eat a pomegranate, but if you look at it and think it does seem like a lot of bother for not a lot of fruit, you may wonder what the point is. Pomegranates are not just a new trend. They have been a king among fruits for centuries. In mythology,Persephone ate six pomegranate seeds and so was forced to live in the underworld six months out of the year. They have been said to possess special powers and, in a way, they do. The basic nutrition facts about pomegranates are that they are bursting with vitamins C, A and E, folic acid, fiber, potassium, iron and niacin. They are also full of antioxidants, can help lower bad cholesterol, blood pressure, fight cancer (especially prostate cancer) and protect your heart.
Uses for Pomegranates
Now that you know how to open it, maybe you want to know how to eat a pomegranate beside just nibbling the lovely seeds? Pomegranates are wonderful in salads with dark leafy greens, as well as fruit salads. You can sprinkle them on cereal or yogurt for breakfast or toss them into a tofu turkey curry to add some sweetness to a spicy dish. They can be stored in the fridge or freezer. On a hot day, try eating a spoonful of pomegranate seeds instead of ice cream - you may find that they are more cooling, refreshing and thirst-quenching, to say nothing of being more diet-friendly.
If you like, you can also juice the pomegranate seeds yourself, thus saving a lot of money at the health food store. This takes a fair bit of work, as it's best to use a citrus press, but it's worth it. No matter what, you really have no excuse not to integrate pomegranates into your diet!
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