I grew up eating pomegranates way before they became known or a huge hit in the U.S. I remember my friends would come over and ask "what is that you're eating?" "what are those little seed things...that's weird."
My mom would tell us how good they were for us and it was a ritual at our house to open up the pomegranates and put all the seeds in a bowl and sprinkle salt or sour salt (citric acid) on them and devour them by the spoonful. I know that sounds weird to put salt on them but seriously...try it...it's delicicious! It's how a lot of Middle Eastern people eat them and hey....we've been eating them for centuries!
My mom also used to make pomegranate juice for us instead of Kool-Aid. She bought real pomegranate syrup that was made in Lebanon and mixed it with water and we'd have that in the fridge at all times.
This syrup is absolutely amazing! You can find it now in almost any international food store and if you have a Middle Eastern or Halal market, you can find it in there. When you buy it, put a dash of it on your finger and lick it. It is a bit sour and soooo amazing! This is the syrup that I use for my pomegranate martinis...see pomegranates are not super sweet like a lot of the juices out there on the market....they're actually a bit tart and a bit sour...so to get that true pomegranate flavor and without all that added sugar...make your own juice with this syrup! Plus it is a lot cheaper!
The market out there is taking advantage of the pomegranate boost right now and buying anything with pomegranate in it is so expensive. I bought several different kinds of juices and teas yesterday and have been trying them out. POM, the California company that has really pushed the pomegranate craze now also has green and white teas flavored with pomegranate which are really tasty. 
I do use different brands of pomegranate liquors too for some of my cocktails, my favorite being Pama.
And my new love right now is pomegranate lemonade by Minute Maid which tastes like a really good pink lemonade. The problem with all these drinks is that they're full of sugar! So this weekend, I am going to make my own teas and lemonade with pomegranate flavor by using my syrup and splenda. I'll work on the recipes and give them out when perfected!
I can't wait until fall....that's pomegranate season in the U.S. You'll be able to find them in most supermarkets from about October to January.
My grandfather had a pomegranate orchard just like this in his backyard....can you imagine?
wow thats a whole lot of Pomegranates hanging off that tree !!! I'm sure if i was you i couldnt wait either.
ReplyDeleteI've grown up eating these too in India, and adored them as a kid as they used to be natural lipstick , when we weren't allowed to touch cosmetics. i would eat half and smear the other half on my lips n try to look all pretty ...lol :p
that's awesome! that's a perfect color...I remember our fingers would be so red after peeling and eating pomegranantes! I'm sure your lips looked amazing! I wish I would've thought of using it for lipstick back then!
ReplyDeleteHi Avesta,
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by my blog. Came to check yours out:) and was immediately drawn to pomegranates:) I LOVEEE THEM! In our culture, too, we eat them a lot, just like that, with some salt sprinkled on top if they are sour. I am glad to see what people in the US are beginning to embrace pomegranates too. I see them in local farmer's markets too.
Going to subscribe to you now. Cheers!
I recall my father use to take my family to his beautiful farm, and we harvested pomegranates from several trees. Some were sourer than others, but all were good. That was close to Guadalajara, Mexico, in a town named Ejutla.
ReplyDeleteMy mother used to tell us to avoid touching our clothes with the pomegranate's juices, because there supposedly stained the clothes for long periods of time. We had lots of fun!
I recall my father use to take my family to his beautiful farm, and we harvested pomegranates from several trees. Some were sourer than others, but all were good. That was close to Guadalajara, Mexico, in a town named Ejutla.
ReplyDeleteMy mother used to tell us to avoid touching our clothes with the pomegranate's juices, because they supposedly stained the clothes for long periods of time. We had lots of fun!
I lived, as a small child, in a small town in NW Oklahoma. One grocery/dry goods store was run by a family originally from Lebanon and each December he would order in a lug of pomegranates. My Mother would always get one or two for us to experience the "wonder of pomegranates."
ReplyDeleteShirley