The Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub or small tree growing to 5-8 m tall.
The pomegranate is native to the region from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran to the Himalayas in northern India and has been cultivated and naturalized over the whole Mediterranean region and the Caucasus since ancient times.
It is widely cultivated throughout Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, India, the drier parts of southeast Asia, Peninsular Malaysia, the East Indies, and tropical Africa.
Introduced into Latin America and 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.
In the global functional food industry, pomegranate is included among a novel category of exotic plant sources called superfruits.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the fruit is typically in season from September to January.
In the Southern hemisphere, it is in season from March to May.
The leaves are opposite or sub-opposite, glossy, narrow oblong, entire, 3-7 cm long and 2 cm broad.
The flowers are bright red, 3 cm in diameter, with four to five petals (often more on cultivated plants). The fruit is between a lemon and a grapefruit in size, 5-12 cm in diameter with a rounded hexagonal shape, and has thick reddish skin and around 600 seeds.
The seeds and surrounding pulp, ranging in colour from white to deep red, called arils, are edible; indeed, the fruit of the pomegranate is a berry.
There are some cultivars which have been introduced that have a range of pulp colours such as purple.
Punica granatum nana is a dwarf variety of P. granatum popularly used as Bonsai trees and as a patio plant.
The only other species in the genus Punica is the Socotran pomegranate (Punica protopunica), which is endemic to the island of Socotra. It differs in having pink (not red) flowers and smaller, less sweet fruit.
Pomegranates are drought tolerant, and can be grown in dry areas with either a Mediterranean winter rainfall climate or in summer rainfall climates. In wetter areas, they are prone to root decay from fungal diseases.
They are tolerant of moderate frost, down to about -10°C (14°F).
The name "pomegranate" derives from Latin pomum ("apple") and granatus ("seeded").
This has influenced the common name for pomegranate in many languages (e.g. German Granatapfel, seeded apple). The genus name Punica is named for the Phoenicians, who were active in broadening its cultivation, partly for religious reasons.
In classical Latin, where "malum" was broadly applied to many apple-like fruits, the pomegranate's name was malum punicum or malum granatum, the latter giving rise to the Italian name melograno, or less commonly melagrana.
Even though this fruit does not originate from China, one common nickname is "Chinese apple." In German and Dutch, the term "Chinese Apple" (apfelsine in German), refers to the orange
The pomegranate originated from Persia and has been cultivated in the Mediterranean region for several millennia.
In Georgia, and Armenia to the east of the Black Sea, there are wild pomegranate groves outside of ancient abandoned settlements. The cultivation of the pomegranate has a long history in Armenia, where decayed remains of pomegranates dating back to 1000 BC have been found.
A large, dry pomegranate was found in the tomb of Djehuty, the butler of Queen Hatshepsut; Mesopotamian cuneiform records mention pomegranates from the mid-Third millennium BC onwards.
It is also extensively grown in South China and in Southeast Asia, whether originally spread along the route of the Silk Road or brought by sea traders.
ancient city of Granada in Spain was renamed after the fruit during the Moorish period. Spanish colonists later introduced the fruit to the Caribbean and Latin America.
After opening the pomegranate by scoring it with a knife and breaking it open, the arils (seed casings) are separated from the skin (peel) and internal white supporting structures (pith and carpellary membrane).
Separating the red arils can be simplified by performing this task in a bowl of water, whereby the arils will sink and the white structures will float to the top.
The entire seed is consumed raw, though the fleshy outer portion of the seed is the part that is desired. The taste differs depending on the variety of pomegranate and its state of ripeness. It can be very sweet or it can be very sour or tangy, but most fruits lie somewhere in between, which is the characteristic taste, laced with notes of its tannin.
Providing 16% of an adult's daily vitamin C requirement per 100 ml serving, pomegranate aril juice is also a good source of the B vitamin, pantothenic acid, potassium and antioxidant polyphenols.
In preliminary laboratory research and human pilot studies, juice of the pomegranate has been found effective in reducing heart disease risk factors, including LDL oxidation, macrophage oxidative status, and foam cell formation, all of which are steps in atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.
Tannins such as punicalagins have been identified as the primary components responsible for the reduction of oxidative stress which led to these risk factors.
Pomegranate has been shown to reduce systolic blood pressure by inhibiting serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE).
The juice may also have antiviral and antibacterial effects against dental plaque.
Pomegranate juice is juice made from the pomegranate fruit.
Pomegranate juice is a Middle Eastern beverage.
Pomegranate juice is also used in cooking both as a fresh juice and as a concentrated syrup ("pomegranate molasses") in dishes such as the Persian fesenjan and ash-e anar and the Levantine muhammara.
Possible health benefits Pomegranate juice:
While preliminary research has shown that the fruit juice may play a role in reducing the risk of cancer, can reduce serum cholesterol, and protect arteries from clogging, more research is needed to validate these findings.
Its possible benefits also need to be balanced against its high caloric content derived from its natural sugars.
The cholesterol reduction effect has been observed only in small studies.
This, as well as the anti-clogging effect of pomegranate juice, are the result of its concentration of antioxidants, and are similar to the effects shown in studies of red wine, black tea, and purple grape juice.
Paralumun New Age Village