Pomegranate grows in countries with a subtropical climate: Asia, Transcaucasia, Dagestan, Iran, Afghanistan, and Persia has long been considered the birthplace of pomegranate. The delicious fruits of this medicinal plant ripen from September to November. In medical practice, the plant was first mentioned by Hippocrates, who used pomegranate juice to treat stomach pains.
In some peoples, pomegranate is called a "granular apple", because depending on its size, it has up to 1200 grains. Therefore, this fruit is associated with a symbol of love, wealth and fertility.
Not all Europeans love this berry due to the presence of numerous seeds in it, although the variety is found without them, pale pink. Doctors recommend eating pomegranate with seeds, since they contain fatty oil and phytohormones that help 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 should be passed through a juicer. Do not rush to throw the cake, dry the seeds, grind in a coffee grinder and use as an seasoning anardan, which has a sweet and sour astringent taste. Seasoning is added to vegetable and bean dishes.
How to clean pomegranate at home: choose a ripe and juicy fruit
Let's talk how to choose a juicy and ripe fruit. Pomegranate should be selected by appearance, by touch and by ear - this is best done in a hypermarket where you can hold the fruit in your hands. The ripe, juicy fruit is quite heavy in weight, its peel is slightly dried and fits the grains so that their outlines can be seen through the peel. Not without reason in the East they say that pomegranate should be juicy inside and dry outside. The fruit should not have dents to the touch. If they are, then the pomegranate, most likely, was crushed or frostbitten during transportation and the process of decay started inside. When choosing, doubts remain - plug in your hearing. Click a fingernail several times on the peel if you hear a metallic sound - it is a 100% ripe and juicy fruit. The sound of dried wood indicates overripeness, small dents and cracks will remain on the peel of such a fruit from clicks. Unripe pomegranate sounds quiet and muffled. Experts say that a ripe fruit with a slight squeezing in the palm slightly springy, you just need to listen to your feelings. If the fruit resembles a stone in sensations, it is unripe. In the "crown" of the pomegranate there should be no traces of mold or sprouted green shoots, and there should not be brown spots near the stalk.
It is customary to eat pomegranate at home with pleasure. To do this, cut off the "crown" of the pomegranate and its stalk with a knife. Make several shallow cuts of the peel 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 are pleased to send grain to the mouth.
How to clean pomegranate by feeding it to the table according to 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 for honored guests. For an intimate conversation, a dish with pomegranate in the form of an opened flower is placed on the table.
To do this, cut off the top of the pomegranate and cut the peel to the base along the white veins. In order for the slices to maintain the shape of the flower, the incisions are not connected to each other at the peduncle. After this, a slight movement needs to break the fetus. It is advisable not to press hard on him so as not to damage the juicy grains.
According to etiquette, whole pomegranate grains are served on the table personally in a vase on a plate with a teaspoon. If someone does not eat pomegranate seeds, then the seeds spit in a teaspoon and are transferred to a plate.
How to clean pomegranates with Narmatik
Narmatik is a handy device that helps you gently and quickly remove 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 stem in the middle. A grate is placed in the bowl, on which half of the pomegranate is placed, with the cut down. Cover the berry with a cap and knock on it with a wooden spoon. After a few minutes, all the grains spill out through the wire rack into a bowl.
How to clean a grenade if there are no special devices under your hands?
How can I replace Narmatik? We need a spoon and a deep plate. Cut the pomegranate. Holding a half of the fruit in his hand with fingers slightly open above the bowl, quickly tapping the spoon with a peel.
After a few minutes of work, juicy grains will be in the plate, which can be served on the table as a dessert or used to prepare various culinary dishes.
