The Fine Art of Pomegranate Peelery

What the heck is a pomegranate?! Well, as I sit here, diving in to a delicious Egyptian pomegranate, I could not help but feel the need to bring pomegranate enlightenment or, pomegranlightenment, to the Stetson community.

To those who know what pomegranates are, you may want to stop reading, as you have surely surmounted the summit of pomegranate peelery in the past. For you pomegranate novices, read on! You’re in for one of the best experiences of your life!

In the US, it’s easy to run down to Publix and grab whatever fruit your heart desires, be it blueberries, oranges, or even perhaps, pomegranates. Cairo’s fruit availability, however, is seasonally based, mangoes in the summer, oranges in the winter, sugar cane in the spring, and avocadoes…well, we don’t have avocadoes in Cairo.

So, Al Hamd-llilah pomegranate season has arrived here in Egypt, thus improving Cairene quality of life considerably. I’m convinced the fruit tastes better here, something to do with how fruit is grown in the US (look vs. taste).

Down to business. What is a pomegranate? Well, basically, the Punica Granatum is a large (good ones are softball-size or larger), red fruit that originated in Central Asia (the best pomegranates, I’m assured, come from Afghanistan.) The inside of the pomegranate is full of zesty red seed-esque things, that’s the good stuff!

So, how does one tackle this enigma of a fruit?! Glad you asked! While an entire industry has grown up around proper pomegranate peelery, I find the best way to peel is as follows; first, take a medium sized knife and cut around the circumference of the fruit, kind of like making a hemisphere for the pomegranate. Once you’ve got the hemisphere, cut (about ¼” deep), make another incision around the ‘north and south poles’ of the pomegranate, basically you want to make two ‘X’s’ on either side of the pomegranate. When that’s done, just peel the pomegranate open and commence de-seedery, it’s really quite simple, I’m fairly certain God bestowed intrinsic knowledge of pomegranate consumption upon man.

The flavor of a fine pomegranate is truly unlike anything you’ve ever tasted. It’ll take some practice to get the most out of your pomegranate, but trust me, it’s worth it. Enjoying the scrumptious seeds from a palatable pomegranate after a hard five minute’s work is really one of life’s greatest pleasures. Get in the car, head down Amelia, and pick up a pomegranate of your own at Publix (Wal Mart’s aren’t so good.) What better way to spend a Thursday night in DeLand!