The name pomegranate is quite literally from the French pomme garnete, which means “seeded apple.”

But the lusciously juicy treasures that comprise the edible part of a pomegranate are actually arils, the juice-filled sack that surrounds the seed or pip, just like a grape. 

Pomegranates are believed to go back over 4,000 years and are one of the oldest cultivated fruits on earth. They have been a symbol of prosperity, hope and abundance in every civilization. Old Testament scholars believe that the sinful fruit offered to Eve in the Garden of Eden was, in fact, a pomegranate, not an apple. In Greek mythology, Hades is supposed to have tempted Persephone, daughter of Zeus, into the Underworld with the sensual lure of a pomegranate. At a Turkish wedding, the bride with throw a pomegranate to the ground, and the number of seeds that fall out reflects how many children she will have. (A pomegranate will contain anywhere from 200 to 1,400 seeds!)

In the Northern Hemisphere, pomegranates grow from September through February. Their popularity has skyrocketed over the last few years, and their uses have grown from a fun hand-fruit to an ingredient for salads, roasts and other dishes.

Pomegranates are considered a nutritional super-food. They are high in vitamin C and potassium, a good source of fiber, and the juice is high in three different types of polyphenols, a potent form of antioxidants.