Pomegranate grows in countries with a subtropical climate: Asia, Transcaucasia, Dagestan, Iran, Afghanistan, and Persia is considered to be the homeland of the pomegranate since ancient times. The tasty fruits of this medicinal plant ripen from September to November. In medical practice, the plant is first mentioned by Hippocrates, who used pomegranate juice to treat stomach pain.
In some nations, pomegranate is called a “grained apple”, because, depending on its size, there are up to 1,200 grains in it. Therefore, this fruit is associated with a symbol of love, wealth and fertility.
Not all Europeans love this berry because of the presence of numerous bones in it, although there is a variety with and without them, a pale pink color. Doctors recommend eating pomegranate with stones, as they contain fatty oil and phytohormones, which help to reduce high blood pressure, normalize hormonal balance, and get rid of irritability. For those who are afraid to use pomegranate, it is better to make juice from it, for this grain you need to skip through a juicer. Do not rush to throw out the cake, dry the bones, grind in a coffee grinder and use as a seasoning anardana, which has a sweet and sour astringent taste. Seasoning is added to vegetable and bean dishes.
How to clean the pomegranate at home: choose a ripe and juicy fruit
Let's talk how to choose a juicy and ripe fruit. Pomegranate should be chosen in appearance, touch and hearing - this is best done in a hypermarket where you can hold the fruit in your hands. Ripe, juicy fruit by weight is quite heavy, its peel is slightly dried and wraps the kernels so that you can see their outlines through the peel. No wonder in the East they say that the pomegranate should be juicy inside and dry outside. The fruit to the touch should not have dents. If they are, then the pomegranate was most likely depressed or frost-bitten during transportation and the process of decay inside began. When choosing, there are doubts - connect the rumor. Click a fingernail several times on the peel, if you hear a metallic sound - this is 100% ripe and juicy fruit. The sound of cracked wood indicates over-ripeness; small dents and cracks will remain on the skin of such a fruit from clicks. An unripe pomegranate sounds quiet and dull. Experts say that a mature fruit with a slight squeeze in his palm slightly springy, you just need to listen to your feelings. If the fruit feels like a stone, it is immature. In the “crown” of the pomegranate there should be no traces of mold or sprouted green shoots, and there should be no brown spots near the stem. Pomegranate is home taken with pleasure. To do this, cut the "crown" of the pomegranate and its stem with a knife. Make several shallow peel cuts in a circle, trying not to touch the grains, and break the fruit over a deep plate into 4 or more parts. Further, separating the thin membrane, they gladly send grains to the mouth.
How to peel a pomegranate by feeding it to a table for etiquette
In European countries, pomegranate is most often used to decorate dishes, but in Central Asia it is served as a dessert. In Uzbekistan and Afghanistan pomegranate beans are served to the guests of honor meal. For a heart-to-heart talk, a dish with a pomegranate in the form of an open flower is put on the table.
To do this, cut the top of the grenade and incise the peel to the base along the white veins. In order for the lobules to retain the shape of a flower, the cuts do not connect with each other at the stem. After that, a slight movement to break the fruit. It is advisable not to press hard on it, so as not to damage the juicy grains.
According to etiquette, whole grains of pomegranate are served on the table personally in a vase on a plate with a teaspoon. If someone does not eat pomegranate seeds, then the bones spit in a teaspoon and put them on a plate.
How to clean pomegranate with Narmatik
Narmatik is a handy device that helps to gently and quickly remove the pomegranate seeds. It consists of a bowl, a lattice with large cells and a silicone cap. To clear the pomegranate from the grains, it is cut with a knife between the “crown” and the stalk in the middle. A grate is placed in the bowl on which the half of the grenade is put, cut down. Cover the berry with a hat and knock on it with a wooden spoon. After a few minutes, all the grains are poured through the grate into a bowl.
How to clean a pomegranate, if there are no special devices at hand?
What can replace Narmatik? We will need a spoon and a deep plate. Cut the grenade. Holding a half of the fruit in his hand with slightly open fingers over a bowl, quickly knocking on the skin with a spoon.
After a few minutes of work, juicy grains will lie on the plate, which can be served as a dessert or used to prepare various culinary dishes.
