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Pomegranate hides ruby-red, juicy seeds under a leathery skin. They taste sweet-sour on salads, bowls, yoghurt and rice. In season from autumn to winter.
Since antiquity, the pomegranate (Punica granatum) has been a symbol of life, fertility and eternal youth. From the tombs of the pharaohs in Egypt to ancient Greek mythology, the fruit has always had an almost mystical status. Under its hard, leathery skin sit hundreds of small, ruby-red seeds (called arils), each wrapped in a sweet-sour sac of juice. In nutrition research, pomegranate has become famous over recent years mainly for its dense concentration of unusual polyphenols.
Despite its sweetness, pomegranate has a lot to offer when you eat the whole seeds:
The deep red colour of the juice comes from its plant compounds, above all punicalagin. In standardised in vitro (lab) tests, this water-soluble antioxidant showed an antioxidant capacity almost three times that of green tea (matcha) and red wine. Human studies have measured inflammation markers such as CRP and the oxidation of LDL cholesterol in people who regularly took pomegranate extracts; several reported lower values. Oxidised LDL is considered an early step in the development of atherosclerosis.
One of the most exciting areas of pomegranate research links it to the science of cell ageing. When the ellagitannins in pomegranate reach the large intestine, certain strains of gut bacteria convert them into a compound called urolithin A.
Urolithin A is one of very few molecules shown to trigger mitophagy – the recycling of old, damaged mitochondria (the power plants in our cells). This process slows down with age. Double-blind human studies (one published in the journal JAMA) gave participants urolithin A and measured changes in muscle strength, endurance and markers of cell renewal – without any extra training.
Several studies have also looked at pomegranate and mildly raised blood pressure. Others have examined men with certain benign and malignant prostate changes and how these progressed while they consumed pomegranate products.
You don't need the expensive pure, pasteurised juice. Pasteurised juice has been heated to a high temperature, and the fibre from the seeds is gone. Eating the fresh, crunchy seeds (arils) gives you the whole fruit, fibre included.
Scatter a handful of pomegranate seeds over lamb's lettuce or Greek yoghurt, or over savoury Middle Eastern and Indian dishes (a spicy curry, hummus or aubergine dips). They burst in your mouth and add a sweet-sour crunch.
The quickest and cleanest way is under water. Score the pomegranate around the middle through the leathery skin only and twist the halves apart. Put the halves in a large bowl of lukewarm water. Now break the seeds out gently with your fingers below the surface. The trick: the white, bitter membranes float to the top, while the heavy red seeds sink to the bottom of the bowl. Skim off the membranes, drain the seeds – done.