Amazing Origins of Pomegranate
Originating in the ancient and rustic lands of what use to called Persia, a place where a lot of old stories and history of the middle east comes from there was also a unique little shrub that grew freely there for decades, in fact the decayed remains of Pomegranate seeds, plants and trees have been found dating back to 1000 BC in this place and others. If one were to every visit the ancient ruins of this country, now called Iran you would see thousands of these small trees or shrubs growing among the abandoned settlements that have long been forgotten and now exist only for tourism and spectators.
Many decades later, but still far earlier than available in places like Europe or America pomegranate was cultivated in the middle eastern countries of Georgia and Armenia, j eastward of The Black Sea and soon traveled to be planted, grown and widely used in the Mediterranean countries such as Spain which at one time named it’s ancient city of Granada after the fruit itself. We can be assured there are many other old stories of the mysteries and intricacies of the Pomegranate fruit that have never been told and will remain that way through the centuries.
Skipping ahead hundreds of years, the pomegranate fruit did not begin it’s wide distribution of the United States or Canada until the early 2000’s where many jumped upon this new antioxidant full fruit as a healthy alternative to the other native fruits that they also enjoy. The unique aspect of the pomegranate can be seen as soon as you split it open. The arils or seed casings are unlike that of any other fruit that is available, especially in the North American region and all of the vitamin rich tiny berries have to be carefully removed by hand which can be made easier by separating them in a bowl of water.
The juice of the plant can be very sweet or sour depending upon how ripe it is, but it usually maintains a taste that is somewhere in between and is mostly found to be enjoyable by a variety of people and most do not have an issue with it tasting foul or dislikeable. In fact since it’s original cultivation many people have used pomegranate for delicious juices and other flavorful drinks for centuries. Coming to the united states it has been used alone or in popular drink mixes recently and adds a distinct and original flavor that is unmistakable to any thing you may eat or drink.
So with a vast and totally unique history pomegranate has had much success overseas and will without a doubt continue to prosper and take off in North America and other countries that is has been recently introduced to. In fact sales of the pomegranate fruit both as a whole or in juices has more than tripled in the last ten years and every day you are hearing about a new use for the wonderful fruit.