POMEGRANATE: YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW THAT

Pomegranate is not called the "king of fruits" for nothing – and it's not just about the sepals symbolically crowning each fruit, and the noble ruby shade of the grains. We have collected five interesting and unexpected facts that won’t  leave a doubt: pomegranate is something very special.

Fact #1. Historical

Pomegranate is one of the most ancient fruits known to mankind. This fact is reflected in many cultures and religions. So the ancient Greeks believed that the tree on which the first pomegranate grew was planted by the goddess of love Aphrodite, and the juice from its fruits was called a "love potion". And the beautiful Persephone, because of the pomegranate seeds eaten at an untimely hour, was forced to stay in the kingdom of Hades for six months. In ancient Egypt, it was believed that the use of a pomegranate before a battle makes a warrior invincible and believed that if you bury the deceased with a pomegranate, it will help him to be reborn to a new life. The Quran says that the Prophet Muhammad recommended the use of pomegranate fruits as a remedy against hatred and anger. But with the Bible, everything is more complicated: there is a theory that Eve ate not an ordinary apple, but a "grainy" one.

Fact #2. Linguistic

Yes, in the Middle Ages, the fruit was called malum granatum, which literally means "an apple with many grains". And if only the second part has been fixed in the Russian language, then, for example, in German and Italian, there are still "apple" echoes. In turn, the word "grenade" also became a derivative, but  in a rather paradoxical format: someone drew an analogy between a fruit with grains and spherical ammunition with fragments, and the concept of "grenade" appeared.

Fact No. 3. Medical and cosmetic

Pomegranate is truly a super food. And everything is useful in it: the peel, the juice, and even the bones. Fruits contain about 15 amino acids, six of them can be found only in meat, so pomegranate is in such high esteem among vegetarians. The fruit is rich in vitamins K, C, B9, B6 and minerals (potassium, copper, phosphorus). Pomegranate helps to cope with anemia and strengthen the immune system, has a highly antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effect and even helps to prevent Alzheimer's disease.

As for the beauty bonuses of pomegranate, the beauties of Ancient Egypt began to use the fruit in this capacity. Even Cleopatra herself, according to legend, used his juice to touch up her lips. Today, pomegranate extract is famous as an anti-age supplement: it smoothes wrinkles and fights with age-related age spots, so it can often be found in cosmetics.

Fact No. 4. Festival

Pomegranates are grown today in many countries of the world. But it is believed that only Azerbaijan can boast of gardens in which there are absolutely all known varieties. And in the city of Goychay, which is considered the local center of pomegranate farming, an annual pomegranate festival is held. It is at the end of October – beginning of November and is timed to coincide with a large-scale harvest. In 2020, UNESCO declared the pomegranate festival one of the masterpieces of the oral and intangible cultural heritage of mankind. Of course, at the festival you can try pomegranate delights of Azerbaijani cuisine – for example, the legendary viscous sauce narsharab from boiled juice.

Fact #5. Record breaking

How many grains are in a pomegranate? In Israel, where this fruit is grown on an industrial scale, it is believed that 613 is the number of commandments in the Torah. This is beautiful and close to the truth – the average figures for a pomegranate are up to 700 seeds and up to 18 centimeters in diameter, depending on the variety. But there are also outstanding exceptions: so in China, a pomegranate was somehow grown, the diameter of which was 48.7 cm (!).

Bonus fact

The Royal Fresh company offers selected grenades the best varieties from Turkey and Egypt, where the harvest season of "royal fruits" is now in full swing. The perfect way to recharge with vitamins in the autumn-winter season! You can submit a request by following the link