Pomegranates are in season right now. I am indulging heavily. It’s a problem. They’re expensive, but I can’t help myself. They’ve been a regular holiday-season habit of mine for several years now. But when I first started eating them, I found them frustrating and confusing. There’s an awful lot of inedible pith and membrane in them, and the little flesh-covered seeds (called arils) can be deeply embedded in the rind. I would usually finish eating one with my hands and face covered in a sticky mixture of pith and blood-colored juice. It was undignified.
It wasn’t until I had practiced a bit and done some research that I finally figured out how to enjoy a pomegranate to its maximum potential. The first step is to pick the right one. The best pomegranate is not necessarily the best-looking. Most supermarkets carry a lot of large, perfectly round, waxy-looking, smooth pomegranates. Although pretty, these are fairly hit-and-miss as far as the quality of the fruit goes. I’ve had better luck with the smaller, uglier ones. Look for a pomegranate that’s sort of angular and bumpy with rough, dry-looking skin. Give it a very light squeeze. It should be hard. The harder the better. If it’s soft, that means the arils closest to the outside are either bruised, underdeveloped, or both.
A little time spent preparing the fruit will make the actual eating of it far more enjoyable. Grab a sharp knife and a small mixing bowl. Put on an apron or a shirt you don’t care about, because you’re going to end up squirting a bit of juice around.
Carefully score the rind into quarters and break them apart. Grab one quarter and sort of turn the rind inside out over the bowl, expelling some of the arils.
Break the remaining arils off the pith into the bowl. Don’t worry about pith and membrane falling in the bowl. We’ll deal with that in a moment.
Once you’ve got all the arils out of the pith and membranes (a tedious process, but worth it), fill the bowl with cold water.
The arils will sink and the inedible stuff will float. Pick out the inedible stuff.
Pomegranate arils are best served chilled, so let them sit in the cold water for a bit and maybe throw in a few ice cubes. As soon as you’re unable to resist any longer, drain the water and dig in with a spoon. Bliss.
I read somewhere that pomegranates contain lots of vitamins and minerals or something, but I don’t concern myself much with that part. They’re delicious and beautiful, and that alone is reason to eat them.
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