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Guyana Chronicle New York Edition Week-ending November 4, 2016
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warm countries of southern Asia, Northern Africa and Southern Europe both as an ornamental tree and as a source of edible fruit. The fruit is supposed to have originated in Persia, but is now common in South and Central America, the
FAICT
hy JAMES SYDNEY
THE LEGENDARY POMEGRANATE A Caribbean Island was named after it Increasingly today, it is possible to see in supermarkets and other stores, a great deal of shelf space given to pomegranate juice — indicating that the juice is now in great demand. No wonder — what with the great health-related claims made for it. That apart, the pomegranate is a fruit with a very In China, the pomegranate was a symbol of fertility. This is not surprising, as it is a fruit with numerous
interesting background. and withholds fertility from the earth. This story became an ancient Greek explanation for the seasons.
seeds. According to ancient Greek
The book of Exodus in the Bible records an instruction to weave images of pomegranates into the hems of the robes of Hebrew priests. Pomegranates were depicted in the temple of King Solomon built in Jerusalem. The king also had an orchard full of them. The Bible reports that when the Children of Israel wandered into the
legend, Persephone was kidnapped by Hades and taken to live with him in the Underworld as his wife. Hades tricked her into eating six pomegranate seeds while she was still his prisoner. Thereafter, she was condemned to spend six months in the Underworld every year. Her mother Demeter, goddess of the harvest, mourns whenever this happens
wilderness, they longed for the pomegranates they used to have in
Egypt. The Ancient Egyptians not only ate pomegranates but included them among the items with which they were buried. Today, during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year festival, there is often a pomegranate on the table because of a tradition that pomegranates have 613 seeds, one for each of the commandments that a Jew is expected to keep. The Babylonians believed that chewing the seeds before battle made them invincible. Mohamed advised his followers, the Muslims, to eat the pomegranate because it purges the system of envy and hatred. From very ancient times the pomegranate has been grown in the
United States and the Caribbean. A bushy tree or shrub, the pomegranate grows to between 5 and 20 feet high, has glossy leaves and waxlike, red flowers at the end of its slender twigs. The fruit is about the size of an orange. Its leathery skin could be red, or even deep yellow, tinged with red; and each of its numerous small seeds is encased in a sweet red juicy coating. Pomegranates may be eaten raw, made into refreshing drinks or used for grenadine syrup — a flavoring for wines, cocktails, carbonated beverages, preserves, and confectionery. In all these instances, the very agreeable juice of the acid fruit pulp is key. It can vary from very sweet or to very sour, but the (continued on page 25)
Guyanese & West Indian Food — Also Serving Halal Food
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