Pomegranate

The pomegranate (pɒmɨɡrænɨt), botanical name Punica granatum, is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub or small tree growing between 5 and 8 m (16–26 ft) tall. In the Northern Hemisphere, the fruit is typically in season from September to February, and in the Southern Hemisphere from March to May. Pomegranates are used in cooking, baking, juices, smoothies, and alcoholic beverages, such as martinis and wine.

The pomegranate is considered to have originated in the region of Iran to northern India, and has been cultivated since ancient times. Most famous Pomegaranate grows in sawe in a place close to Tehran.

Pomegranate is native to Persia (Iran). Pomegranates also thrive in the drier climates of California and Arizona, and have been cultivated throughout the Middle East, Southern Asia, and Mediterranean region for several millennia

Pomegranate juice can be sweet or sour, but most fruits are moderate in taste, with sour notes from the acidic tannins contained in the juice. Pomegranate juice has long been a popular drink in Armenian, Persian, and Indian cuisine, and now is widely distributed in the United States and Canada.

Grenadine syrup long ago consisted of thickened and sweetened pomegranate juice, now is usually a sales name for a syrup based on various berries, citric acid, and food coloring, mainly used in cocktail mixing. In Europe, Bols still manufactures grenadine syrup with pomegranate.

A 100g serving of pomegranate seeds provide 12% of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin C and 16% DV for vitamin K, and contains polyphenols, such as ellagitannins and flavonoids.

Pomegranate seeds are excellent sources of dietary fiber which is entirely contained in the edible seeds. People who choose to discard the seeds forfeit nutritional benefits conveyed by the seed fiber and micro nutrients.

The fruits are harvested from September to December.