Thursday, October 31, 2013

An Oddly Beautiful Fruit



Yesterday, for the first time in my life, I cut open a pomegranate. I can't believe it took me so long! I've had pomegranate seeds plenty of times but until now, I had never retrieved them myself.

And I was really quite taken by how beautiful the inside of a pomegranate is. The seeds are tucked into the fruit in clusters and they're so vibrantly pinkish-vermilion that they almost look like little candies. You can use your fingers to gently loosen them from the skin of the fruit and where they were nestled, a tiny little imprint is left. It's such a strange fruit and I found myself marveling at it as I peeled back the layers and collected the seeds in a bowl. It wasn't nearly as quick as, say, peeling an orange, but it was oddly therapeutic.

All of this reminded me of a lovely article I recently read on pomegranates. It's a celebration of the imperfect, a beautiful reflection on how it is often the scarred and bruised and ugly fruits that produce the sweetest, most divine flavor. I loved the piece when I read it a few days ago and have new appreciation for it now that I've experienced the beauty of a pomegranate firsthand.


8 comments:

  1. Pomegranates! They really are so weird. I've been peeling them for years and I always get red splatters everywhere!

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  2. Kristyn @ Milk + CrownNovember 2, 2013 at 6:22 PM

    Is it terrible that I have never actually eaten a pomegranate? I love the taste though :) That article you linked to was beautiful. Such an important message to remember, not just with fruit, but with people too!

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  3. I know, I was so glad I put on an apron before cutting it open! They're messy but so delicious.

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  4. It wasn't until after college that I tried pomegranate seeds, so you're not alone! And I discovered tonight that they're absolutely delicious with chocolate as a dessert, if you needed an excuse to try them :)

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  5. So the pomegranate, as I'm sure you're aware, plays a major role in Greek and Roman mythology - but did you also know it carries weighty symbolism in Judaism? Solomon is said to have modeled his crown after the top of the pomegranate, and it's considered to to represent righteousness because it has 613 seeds, the same number as commandments in the Torah. (I also remember learning that some scholars believe that the pomegranate was the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden!)

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  6. Oh wow I didn't know any of that--how interesting! That's kind of amazing that all pomegranates have the same number of seeds! And it would make sense that the pomegranate was the forbidden fruit because I believe it is native to the Holy Land/Middle East.

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  7. I always forget things I need at the grocery store... and yet I remember all of this. haha!

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  8. I love pomegranates - such a beautiful fruit and so good for you. I learned an easy technique for eating them after my first experience with the fruit when, like many others, the bright red juice went everywhere. It was quite a scary sight in my kitchen. I cut off the top and score it into wedges, then let it soak in cold water for a few minutes before peeling it in the water. I've found that the water helps open the fruit a little so it's easier to peel. The water also helps separate the seeds from the yellow seed casings since it will float to the top.

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