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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 13 NOVEMBER 2016 35 POMEGRANATES have been cherished for their exquisite beauty, flavour, colour, and health benefits for centuries. From their distinctive crown to their ruby red arils, pomegranates are royalty among fruit. They are symbolic of prosperity and abundance in virtually every civilization. Fortu- nately, this treasure's versatility and possibilities are as abundant as the juicy arils bursting forth from within. After opening the pomegran- ate by scoring it with a knife and breaking it open, the arils (seed casings) are separated from the peel and internal white pulp mem- branes. The entire seed is consumed raw, though the watery, tasty aril is the desired part. The taste dif- fers depending on the subspecies of pomegranate and its ripeness. The pomegranate juice can be very sweet or sour, but most fruits are moderate in taste, with sour notes from the acidic tannins con- tained in the aril juice. Pomegran- ate juice has long been a popular drink in Persian and Indian cui- sine, and is now widely distributed in the Western world. Pomegranates have been used around the world in a variety of dishes from appetizers, soups and salads, main courses, preserves, dips, sauces, desserts and drinks. In the Caucasus, the pomegran- ate is used mainly as juice. In Azer- baijan a sauce from pomegranate juice (narsharab) is usually served with fish or tika kabab. In Turkey, pomegranate sauce is used as a salad dressing, to marinate meat, or simply to drink straight. Pome- granate seeds are also used in sal- ads and sometimes as garnish for desserts. Pomegranate syrup or molasses is used in muhammara, a roasted red pepper, walnut and garlic spread popular in Syria and Turkey. In Greece, pomegranate is used in many recipes, including kollivo- zoumi, a creamy broth made from boiled wheat, pomegranates and raisins, legume salad with wheat and pomegranate, traditional Middle Eastern lamb kebabs with pomegranate glaze, pomegran- ate eggplant relish, and avacado- pomegranate dip. Pomegranate is also made into a liqueur and pop- ular fruit confectionery used as ice cream topping or mixed with yoghurt or spread as jam on toast. In Cyprus as well as in Greece and among the Greek Orthodox Di- aspora it is used to make kolliva, a mixture of wheat, pomegranate seeds, sugar, almonds and other seeds served at memorial services. Pomegranates are a new super food. They are high in vitamin C and potassium, a great source of fibre, and low in calories. The pomegranate has been cul- tivated in Caucasus since ancient times and today is widely culti- vated throughout Iran, Azerbai- jan, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iraq, China, Burma, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, and the Mediterranean. The name pomegranate derives from Middle French, pomme gar- nete, literally "seeded apple"; it is sometimes referred to as a Chi- nese apple. Many scholars also believe that the forbidden, yet ir- resistible fruit that Eve indulged in from the Garden of Eden was actually a pomegranate (and not an apple). The pomegranate is a symbol of abundance and is still used throughout the world, particularly at wedding ceremonies. During a Persian wedding ceremony, a bas- ket of pomegranates is placed on the ceremonial cloth to symbolize a joyous future. In Turkey, after the marriage ceremony, the bride throws a pomegranate on the ground. The number of arils that fall out are believed to indicate how many children she will have. In Crete, when a bride enters her new home, the groom hands her a pomegranate. In China, a picture of a ripe, open pomegranate is a popular wedding present, express- ing the wish, "May you have as many children as there are seeds." Fine food of the week Food Ingredients • 50g walnuts • 3 red bell peppers • 1 clove garlic • 1 tsp dried chilli • ½ lemon, juice only • Salt • Parsley • 3 tbsp pomegranate molasses • Olive oil • Pita bread, to serve Method 1. Roast the walnuts in the oven for 10 mins making sure they don't burn. 2. Put a little olive oil on the peppers and roast them in the oven until the skin starts to black- en, approx. 30 mins. 3. Place the peppers – in- cluding the black skin – and the garlic in a food processor with the chilli and lemon juice. 4. Season with salt and pepper and blitz. 5. Add the parsley and pome- granate molasses. 6. Add the nuts and pulse leav- ing a bit of a bite to the nut. 7. Place in a serving dish and top with olive oil. 8. Serve with toasted pita bread. This recipe first appeared on Gourmet Today TV, aired on TVM on 22 October, 2016. Recipe of the week Pomegranates, royalty among fruit Muhammara The juicy arils provide the sweet taste of the pomegranate, though the taste varies according to species of the plant and ripeness of the fruit Are you tired of the same old dips you serve before a meal? Michael Diacono makes this classic Levantine dip using roasted bell pepper and walnuts. It is really easy to make so you can concentrate your efforts on preparing the main dish without sacrificing flavour in this wonderful pre-dinner dip. Alternatively you can serve this as a starter with a number of other Middle Eastern dips such as hummus and baba ganoush.