‘Wonderful’ is a popular and readily available variety of pomegranate. Photo: Meredith French
The Pomegranate or “seeded apple” (Punica granatum) is a fruit of many legends and traditions. This many-seeded fruit with an upright calyx, or “crown,” has been a symbol of fruitfulness, abundance, fertility, ambition, prosperity, and good luck since ancient times. Frequently mentioned in the Bible, the Talmud, and the Koran, as well as in early Hindu and Greek writings, this striking plant was first cultivated on the Iranian Plateau and northern India. From there, cultivation spread further east and west. The fruit is even mentioned in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and depicted in their early art. Some Jewish biblical scholars believe this was the real apple of Adam and Eve lore, which makes perfect sense since the apple of that time was essentially inedible. Today, India grows most of the world’s supply of pomegranates.
Pomegranates were introduced to California in 1769, and even earlier in the mid-Atlantic British colonies where climatic factors hindered its success. But by the 1990s the fruit had a firm foo...
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