View source for Pomegranate

{{Short description|Fruit-bearing deciduous shrub}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Pomegranate Juice (2019).jpg
| image_caption = Fruit of ''Punica granatum'' split open to reveal clusters of seeds with sarcotesta on the inside, and a glass of juice
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="IUCN RedList">{{cite iucn | author = Participants of the FFI/IUCN SSC Central Asian regional tree Red Listing workshop, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (11-13 July 2006) | title = ''Punica granatum'' | article-number = e.T63531A173543609 | year = 2020 | access-date = 16 November 2020}}</ref>
| genus = Punica
| species = granatum
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
| synonyms =  
{{Species list
| Granatum punicum | [[Jean Baptiste Saint-Lager|St.-Lag.]]
| Punica florida | [[Richard Anthony Salisbury|Salisb.]]
| Punica grandiflora | [[hort.]] ex [[Ernst Gottlieb von Steudel|Steud.]]
| Punica nana | L.
| Punica spinosa | [[Jean-Baptiste Lamarck|Lam.]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/tro-26700001|title=''Punica granatum'' L., The Plant List, Version 1|date=2010|publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden|access-date=26 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130811181028/http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/tro-26700001|archive-date=11 August 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>
| Rhoea punica | St.-Lag.
}}
| synonyms_ref = <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000468843#synonyms |title=''Punica granatum'' L. |date=2022 |website=World Flora Online |publisher=The World Flora Online Consortium |access-date=20 July 2022}}</ref>
}}

The '''pomegranate''' ('''''Punica granatum''''') is a [[fruit]]-bearing, [[deciduous]] shrub in the family [[Lythraceae]], subfamily [[Punica|Punicoideae]], that grows between {{convert|5|and|10|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} tall. Rich in symbolic and mythological associations in many cultures, it is thought to have originated from [[Iran]] before being introduced and exported to other parts of Asia, Africa, and Europe, though also considered to be native to Indian Subcontinent (particularly Northern India) and Afghanistan.<ref name="Morton-1987"/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ismail |first1=Tariq |last2=Sestili |first2=Piero |last3=Akhtar |first3=Saeed |title=Pomegranate peel and fruit extracts: A review of potential anti-inflammatory and anti-infective effects |journal=Journal of Ethnopharmacology |date=September 2012 |volume=143 |issue=2 |pages=397–405 |doi=10.1016/j.jep.2012.07.004 |pmid=22820239 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Langley |first=Patricia |date=4 November 2000 |title=Why a pomegranate? |journal=BMJ: British Medical Journal |volume=321 |issue=7269 |pages=1153–1154 |doi=10.1136/bmj.321.7269.1153 |pmc=1118911 |pmid=11061746}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=5 things you didn't know about pomegranates {{!}} Kew |url=https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/surprising-pomegranate-facts |access-date=7 December 2023 |website=www.kew.org |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Sass |first=Lorna J. |date=31 October 1979 |title=Pomegranates: Rich In History and Taste |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/10/31/archives/pomegranates-rich-in-history-and-taste.html |access-date=7 December 2023 }}</ref>

It was introduced into [[Spanish America]] in the late 16th century and into California by [[New Spain|Spanish settlers]] in 1769.<ref name="Morton-1987">{{cite web |author=Morton, J. F. |year=1987 |title=Pomegranate, ''Punica granatum'' L |url=http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/pomegranate.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120621045126/http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/pomegranate.html |archive-date=21 June 2012 |access-date=14 June 2012 |website=Fruits of Warm Climates |publisher=Purdue New Crops Profile |pages=352–5}}</ref> It is widely cultivated throughout [[West Asia]] and the [[Caucasus]] region, [[South Asia]], [[Central Asia]], [[North Africa|north]] and tropical Africa, the drier parts of [[Southeast Asia]], and the [[Mediterranean Basin]].<ref name="Morton-1987" /> The fruit is typically in season in the Northern Hemisphere from September to February, and in the Southern Hemisphere from March to May.<ref name="Sinha-2012">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1qwuBXeczzgC&pg=PT1696 |title=Handbook of Fruits and Fruit Processing |date=20 June 2012 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-118-35263-2 |editor1=Nirmal K. Sinha |edition=2 |pages= |oclc=1100459240 |editor2=Jiwan Sidhu |editor3=Jozsef Barta |editor4=James Wu |editor5=M.Pilar Cano}}</ref><ref name="Joshi-2017">{{cite book |last1=Joshi |first1=V.K. |last2=Panesar |first2=P.S. |last3=Rana |first3=V.S. |last4=Kaur |first4=S. |title=Science and Technology of Fruit Wine Production |chapter=Science and Technology of Fruit Wines |date=2017 |pages=1–72 |doi=10.1016/B978-0-12-800850-8.00001-6 |isbn=978-0-12-800850-8 }}</ref>

The pomegranate and its juice are variously used in [[baking]], cooking, juice blends, [[garnish (food)|garnishes]], nonalcoholic drinks, and [[cocktail]]s.

==Etymology==
[[Image:1-albero, Taccuino Sanitatis, Casanatense 4182..jpg|thumb|A pomegranate tree in an illustration for the ''[[Tacuinum Sanitatis]]'', made in Lombardy, late 14th century ([[Biblioteca Casanatense]], Rome)]]

The name "pomegranate" derives from [[medieval Latin]] {{Lang|la|pōmum}}, apple and {{Lang|la|grānātum}}, seeded.<ref>{{OEtymD|pomegranate}}</ref> Possibly stemming from the old French word for the fruit, {{Lang|fro|pomme-grenade}}, the pomegranate was known in early English as apple of Granada—a term that today survives only in heraldic [[blazon]]s.<ref>{{cite web|title=All hail the Pomegranate, official symbol of Granada|website=The Lecrin Valley|date=15 October 2012|url=http://thelecrinvalley.wordpress.com/tag/pomegranate/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609035836/http://thelecrinvalley.wordpress.com/tag/pomegranate/|archive-date=9 June 2013|access-date=7 May 2020}}</ref>

[[Garnet (name)|Garnet]] derives from Old French {{Lang|fro|grenat}} by [[metathesis (linguistics)|metathesis]], from Medieval Latin {{Lang|la|granatum}} as used in a different meaning "of a dark red color". This derivation may have originated from ''pomum granatum'', describing the color of pomegranate pulp, or from ''granum'', referring to red dye, [[cochineal]].<ref>{{OEtymD|garnet}}</ref>

The modern French term for pomegranate, {{Lang|fr|grenade}}, has given its name to the military [[grenade]].<ref>{{OEtymD|grenade}}</ref>

Pomegranates were colloquially called wineapples or wine-apples in Ireland, although this term has fallen out of use. It still persists at the [[Moore Street]] open-air market in central Dublin.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Johnston |first1=Fred |title=Woman as Poet |journal=Books Ireland |date=2004 |issue=264 |pages=15–18 |doi=10.2307/20632662 |jstor=20632662 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Barr |first1=Rebecca |last2=Buckley |first2=Sarah-Anne |last3=Kelly |first3=Laura |title=Engendering Ireland: New Reflections on Modern History and Literature |date=2015 |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |isbn=978-1-4438-8307-8 |page=66 }}</ref>

== Description ==
[[File:Pom May 2022.jpg|thumb|right|Pomegranate being trained as a [[bonsai]]]]

The pomegranate is a [[shrub]] or small tree growing {{cvt|5|to|10|m|abbr=on}} high, with multiple spiny branches. It is long-lived, with some specimens in France surviving for 200 years.<ref name="Morton-1987"/> ''P.&nbsp;granatum'' [[leaf|leaves]] are opposite or subopposite, glossy, narrow oblong, entire, {{cvt|3|–|7|cm|frac=4|abbr=on}} long, and {{cvt|2|cm|frac=4|abbr=on}} broad.

The [[flower]]s are bright red and {{cvt|3|cm|frac=4|abbr=on}} in diameter, with three to seven petals.<ref name="Morton-1987"/> Some fruitless varieties are grown for the flowers alone.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://homeorchard.ucanr.edu/The_Big_Picture/Pollination |title=Pollination |website=The California Backyard Orchard |publisher=University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources |access-date=25 May 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref>
The flower's anthers close around the stigma until maturity, the ovaries are divided internally into special compartments or locules of many suspended [[ovule]]s covered in septum.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wetzstein |first1=Hazel Y. |last2=Zhang |first2=Zibin |last3=Ravid |first3=Nadav |last4=Wetzstein |first4=Michael E. |title=Characterization of Attributes Related to Fruit Size in Pomegranate |journal=HortScience |date=June 2011 |volume=46 |issue=6 |pages=908–912 |doi=10.21273/HORTSCI.46.6.908 |url=https://journals.ashs.org/view/journals/hortsci/46/6/article-p908.xml|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tamchos |first1=Sonam |last2=Anjum |first2=Talat |last3=Rao |first3=Rama |last4=Nagayya |first4=Shiddamallayya |last5=Sharma |first5=Gopesh |title=Microscopical Investigation of ''Punica granatum'' L. Flower: A Traditional Drug with Vivid Therapeutic Promise |url=https://www.phcogres.com/article/2025/17/2/105530pres20252086|journal=Pharmacognosy Research |date=April 2025 |volume=17 |issue=2 |pages=645–653 |doi=10.5530/pres.20252086 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

[[File:Pomegranate fruit - whole and piece with arils.jpg|thumb|Whole pomegranate and piece with arils]]

===Fruit===
[[File:Flower of Pomegranate.jpg|thumb|Pomegranate flower]]
[[File:Pomegranate Fruit Setting.jpg|thumb|right|Fruit setting]]

The pomegranate fruit [[husk]] is red-purple with an outer, hard [[pericarp]], and an inner, spongy [[mesocarp]] (white "albedo"), which comprises the fruit's inner wall where seeds attach.<ref name="Stover-2007">{{cite journal|last1=Stover |first1=E. |last2=Mercure |first2=E. W.|title=The Pomegranate: A New Look at the Fruit of Paradise|journal=HortScience|date=2007|volume=42|issue=5|pages=1088–1092|doi=10.21273/HORTSCI.42.5.1088 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Membranes of the mesocarp are organized as nonsymmetric chambers that contain seeds which are embedded without attachment to the mesocarp,<ref name="Stover-2007"/> also a result of fertilization to the divided ovary. Pomegranate seeds are characterized by having [[sarcotesta]], thick fleshy seed coats derived from the integuments or outer layers of the ovule's [[epidermal cell]]s.<ref name="Holland-2009"/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dahlgren |first1=Rolf |last2=Thorne |first2=Robert F. |title=The Order Myrtales: Circumscription, Variation, and Relationships |journal=Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden |date=1984 |volume=71 |issue=3 |pages=633–699 |doi=10.2307/2399158 |jstor=2399158 |bibcode=1984AnMBG..71..633D |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/3964 }}</ref> The number of seeds in a pomegranate can vary from 200 to about 1,400.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.aquaphoenix.com/misc/pomegranate/| title=Does a larger pomegranate yield more seeds?| publisher=AquaPhoenix| access-date=21 September 2006| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061104163317/http://www.aquaphoenix.com/misc/pomegranate/| archive-date=4 November 2006}}{{self-published inline|date=September 2025}}</ref>

Botanically, the [[fruit]] is a [[Berry (botany)|berry]] with edible seeds and pulp produced from the [[ovary (botany)|ovary]] of a single flower.<ref name="Holland-2009">{{cite book |last1=Holland |first1=D. |last2=Hatib |first2=K. |last3=Bar-Ya'Akov |first3=I. |title=Horticultural Reviews |chapter=Pomegranate: Botany, Horticulture, Breeding |date=2009 |pages=127–191 |doi=10.1002/9780470593776.ch2 |isbn=978-0-470-38642-2 }}</ref> The fruit is intermediate in size between a [[lemon]] and a [[grapefruit]], {{convert|5|–|12|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} in diameter with a rounded shape and thick, reddish husk.<ref name="Morton-1987"/>

In mature fruits, the juice obtained by compressing the seeds yields a tart flavor due to low [[pH]] (4.4) and high contents of [[polyphenol]]s,<ref name="Fernandes-2015">{{cite journal|pmc=5079168|year=2015|last1=Fernandes|first1=L.|title=Physicochemical Changes and Antioxidant Activity of Juice, Skin, Pellicle and Seed of Pomegranate (cv. Mollar de Elche) at Different Stages of Ripening|journal=Food Technology and Biotechnology|volume=53|issue=4|pages=397–406|last2=Pereira|first2=J. A.|last3=López Cortés|first3=I.|last4=Salazar|first4=D. M.|last5=Ramalhosa|first5=E. C.|pmid=27904374|doi=10.17113/ftb.53.04.15.3884}}</ref> which may cause a red indelible stain on fabrics.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ucfoodsafety.ucdavis.edu/files/26390.pdf|title=Pomegranates|publisher=Utah State University, Department of Food Safety|author=Jorgensen, SuzAnne|author2=Brennand, Charlotte|date=June 2005|access-date=17 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140912114742/http://ucfoodsafety.ucdavis.edu/files/26390.pdf|archive-date=12 September 2014}}</ref> The [[pigment]]ation of pomegranate juice primarily results from the presence of [[anthocyanin]]s and [[Pomegranate ellagitannin|ellagitannin]]s.<ref name="Fernandes-2015"/><ref name="Gómez Caravaca-2013">{{cite journal|pmid=23656584|year=2013|last1=Gómez Caravaca|first1=A. M.|title=Determination of the major phenolic compounds in pomegranate juices by HPLC−DAD−ESI-MS|journal=Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry|volume=61|issue=22|pages=5328–37|last2=Verardo|first2=V.|last3=Toselli|first3=M.|last4=Segura Carretero|first4=A.|last5=Fernández Gutiérrez|first5=A.|last6=Caboni|first6=M. F.|doi=10.1021/jf400684n|bibcode=2013JAFC...61.5328G }}</ref>

== Cultivation ==
''P. granatum'' is grown for its vegetable crop, and as [[ornamental tree]]s and shrubs in parks and gardens. Mature specimens can develop sculptural twisted bark, multiple trunks, and a distinctive overall form. Pomegranates are [[drought]]-tolerant, and can be grown in dry areas with either a Mediterranean winter rainfall climate or in summer rainfall climates. In wetter areas, they can be prone to root decay from [[fungus|fungal]] diseases. They can tolerate moderate [[frost]], down to about {{convert|-12|°C|°F|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Ali Sarkhosh|author2=Jeff Williamson|date=October 2018|orig-date=April 1994|title=The Pomegranate|publisher=UF/IFAS Extension|url= http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/MG/MG05600.pdf|access-date=7 May 2020}}</ref>

Insect pests of the pomegranate can include the butterflies ''[[Virachola isocrates]]'', ''[[Iraota timoleon]]'', and ''[[Deudorix epijarbas]]'', and the leaf-footed bug ''[[Leptoglossus zonatus]]'', and fruit flies and ants are attracted to unharvested ripe fruit.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ingels |first1=Chuck A. |last2=Geisel |first2=Pamela M. |last3=Maxwell |first3=Norton V. |title=The Home Orchard: Growing Your Own Deciduous Fruit and Nut Trees |date=2007 |publisher=UCANR Publications |isbn=978-1-879906-72-3 |page=26 }}</ref> 

=== Propagation ===
''P. granatum'' reproduces sexually in nature, but can be propagated using [[Asexual reproduction|asexual]] reproduction. Propagation methods include [[layering (horticulture)|layering]], hardwood cuttings, softwood cuttings, and [[Plant tissue culture|tissue culture]]. Required conditions for rooting cuttings include warm temperatures within the 18–29&nbsp;°C (65–85&nbsp;°F) range and a semihumid environment. [[Auxin|Rooting hormone]] increases rooting success rate, but is not required.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Center |first=UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education |title=Pomegranate Enterprise - Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) - University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences - UF/IFAS |url=https://crec.ifas.ufl.edu/extension/pomegranates/pomegranate-enterprise/ |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=crec.ifas.ufl.edu |language=en}}</ref> Grafting is possible but impractical and tends to yield low success rates.

=== Varieties ===
''P. granatum'' [[variety (botany)|var.]] ''nana'' is a dwarf variety of ''P.&nbsp;granatum'' popularly planted as an [[ornamental plant]] in gardens and larger containers, and used as a [[bonsai]] specimen tree. It could well be a wild form with a distinct origin. It has gained the [[Royal Horticultural Society]]'s [[Award of Garden Merit]].<ref>{{cite web|title=''Punica granatum'' var. ''nana''|url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/67011/Punica-granatum-var-nana/Details|date=2024|publisher=Royal Horticultural Society|access-date=23 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf|title=AGM Plants - Ornamental|date=March 2020|page=90|publisher= Royal Horticultural Society|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200503221317/https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf|archive-date=3 May 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

The only other species in the genus ''[[Punica]]'' is the [[Punica protopunica|Socotran pomegranate]] (''P. protopunica''), which is [[endemic (ecology)|endemic]] to the [[Socotra]]n archipelago of four islands located in the Arabian Sea, the largest island of which is also known as Socotra. The territory is part of Yemen. It differs in having pink (not red) flowers and smaller, less sweet fruit.<ref>{{cite web|title=Punica granatum - the Drops of Blood from Garden of Eden|work=Top Tropicals |url=http://toptropicals.com/html/toptropicals/plant_wk/pomegranate.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123032753/http://toptropicals.com/html/toptropicals/plant_wk/pomegranate.htm|archive-date=23 January 2013}}</ref>

=== Cultivars ===
[[File:Black Pomegranate.JPG|thumb|upright|left|Black pomegranate]]
''P. granatum'' has more than 500 named [[cultivar]]s, but has considerable synonymy in which the same [[genotype]] is named differently across regions of the world.<ref name="Stover-2007"/>

Several characteristics between pomegranate genotypes vary for identification, consumer preference, preferred use, and [[marketing]], the most important of which are fruit size, [[exocarp]] color (ranging from yellow to purple, with pink and red most common), seed-coat color (ranging from white to red), the hardness of seed, maturity, juice content and its acidity, sweetness, and [[astringency]].<ref name="Stover-2007"/>

==Production and export==
The leading producers globally are India and China, followed by Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan, the US, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, and Spain.<ref name="UNECE-2022">{{cite web | url=https://unece.org/sustainable-development/press/new-unece-standard-will-boost-international-trade-pomegranate | title=New UNECE standard will boost international trade in pomegranate|publisher=United Nations Economic Commission for Europe|date=1 March 2022|access-date=5 July 2025 }}</ref> During 2019, Chile, Peru, Egypt, Israel, India, and Turkey supplied pomegranates to the [[European Union|European]] market.<ref name="FreshPlaza-2019">{{cite web |title=Overview: Global pomegranate market |url=https://www.freshplaza.com/article/9143157/overview-global-pomegranate-market/ |publisher=FreshPlaza |access-date=15 March 2021 |date=13 September 2019}}</ref> Chile was the main supplier to the United States market, which has a limited supply from [[Southern California]].<ref name="FreshPlaza-2019"/> China was self-sufficient for its pomegranate supply in 2019, while other [[South Asia]] markets were supplied mainly by India.<ref name="FreshPlaza-2019"/> Pomegranate production and exports in [[South Africa]] competed with South American shipments in 2012–2018, with export destinations including Europe, the [[Middle East]], the [[United Kingdom]], and Russia.<ref name="Louw-2021">{{cite web |title=Pomegranate production in South Africa |author=Marinda Louw|url=https://southafrica.co.za/pomegranate-production-south-africa.html |publisher=South Africa Online |access-date=15 March 2021 |date=2021}}</ref> South Africa imports pomegranates mainly from Israel.<ref name="Louw-2021"/>

== History ==
[[File:Pomegranate LACMA M.81.61.5.jpg|thumb|''Pomegranate'', late Southern [[Song dynasty]] or early [[Yuan dynasty]] circa 1200–1340 (Los Angeles County Museum of Art)]]
The pomegranate is native to a region from Iran to northern India.<ref name="Morton-1987"/> Pomegranates have been cultivated throughout the Middle East, India, and the Mediterranean region for several millennia, and it is also cultivated in the [[Central Valley (California)|Central Valley]] of California and in Arizona.<ref name="Morton-1987"/><ref>{{cite book |author=Doijode, S. D. |title=Seed storage of horticultural crops |publisher=Food Products Press |location=New York |year=2001 |page=77 |isbn=978-1-56022-883-7 }}</ref><ref name="Ripley-1875">{{Cite book | title=The American cyclopaedia: a popular dictionary of general knowledge, Volume 13 |author1=George Ripley |author2=Charles Anderson Dana | year=1875 | publisher=Appleton | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P_UXAQAAIAAJ | quote=... frequent reference is made to it in the Mosaic writings, and sculptured representations of the fruit are found on the ancient monuments of Egypt and in the Assyrian ruins. It is found in a truly wild state only in northern India ...}}</ref> Pomegranates may have been domesticated as early as the fifth millennium BC, as they were one of the first fruit trees to be domesticated in the eastern Mediterranean region.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Domestication of plants in the old world: The origin and spread of domesticated plants in south-west Asia|last1=Zohary|first1=Daniel|last2=Hopf|first2=Maria|last3=Weiss|first3=Ehud|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2012|isbn=978-0-19-954906-1|edition=4th|location=Oxford|pages=114–115}}</ref>

Archaeological findings confirm the early domestication of pomegranates in the [[ancient Near East]]. Remains of the fruit dating to the [[Neolithic]] period have been found at [[Gezer]] in [[Israel]],<ref name="Shafer-Elliott-2022" /> and carbonized pomegranate exocarp has been recovered from [[early Bronze Age]] levels at [[Tell es-Sultan|Tell es-Sultan (Jericho)]] in the [[West Bank]].<ref name="Still-2006" /><ref name="Shafer-Elliott-2022" /> Additional remains from this period have been found at [[Tel Arad|Arad]] and Gezer in Israel. Evidence from the [[Late Bronze Age]] includes pomegranate remains at [[Hala Sultan Tekke (archaeological site)|Hala Sultan Tekke]] in [[Cyprus]] and the site of [[Tiryns]] in [[Greece]].<ref name="Still-2006">{{cite book |title=Pomegranates: ancient roots to modern medicine |last=Still |first=D. W. |editor1-last=Seeram |editor1-first=Navindra P. |editor2-last=Schulman |editor2-first=Risa N. |editor3-last=Heber |editor3-first=David |year=2006 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-0-8493-9812-4 |pages=199–2010 |chapter=Pomegranate: A botanical perspective |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2yGXy6jVFbYC&pg=PA168}}</ref><ref name="Shafer-Elliott-2022" /> A large, dry pomegranate was found in the tomb of [[Djehuty (overseer of the treasury)|Djehuty]], the butler of Queen [[Hatshepsut]] in Egypt; [[Mesopotamian]] records written in [[cuneiform]] mention pomegranates from the mid-third millennium BC onwards.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Hopf, Maria |author2=Zohary, Daniel |title=Domestication of plants in the old world: the origin and spread of cultivated plants in West Asia, Europe, and the Nile Valley |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford [Oxfordshire] |year=2000 |page=171 |edition=3rd |isbn=978-0-19-850356-9 }}</ref>
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Greekterracottapomegranate.jpg|thumb|218.993x218.993px|A Greek terracotta pomegranate, sculpted around the 5th century B.C.]] -->

Waterlogged pomegranate remains have been identified at the circa 14th century BC [[Uluburun shipwreck]] off the coast of Turkey.<ref name="Ward-2003">{{Cite journal|last=Ward|first=Cheryl|date=February 2003|title=Pomegranates in eastern Mediterranean contexts during the Late Bronze Age|journal=World Archaeology|volume=34 |issue=3|pages=529–541|jstor=3560202|doi=10.1080/0043824021000026495 }}</ref> Other goods on the ship include perfume, [[ivory]] and gold jewelry, suggesting that pomegranates at this time may have been considered a luxury good.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ward Haldane|first=Cheryl|date=March 1990|title=Shipwrecked plant remains|journal=The Biblical Archaeologist|volume=53 |issue=1|pages=55–60|jstor=3210160|doi=10.2307/3210160 }}</ref> Other archaeological finds of pomegranate remains from the Late [[Bronze Age]] have been found primarily in elite residences, supporting this inference.<ref name="Ward-2003" /> During the Iron Age, the pomegranate was a frequent decorative motif in [[Israelites|Israelite]] material culture, appearing on ancient artifacts.<ref name="Shafer-Elliott-2022" />

It is also extensively grown in southern China and Southeast Asia, whether originally spread along the [[Silk Road]] route or brought by sea traders. [[Kandahar]] is famous in Afghanistan for its high-quality pomegranates.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://afghanag.ucdavis.edu/a_horticulture/fruits-trees/pomegranate|publisher=University of California at Davis, International Programs|title=Pomegranate — Afghan Agriculture|website=afghanag.ucdavis.edu|date=2013|access-date=17 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161205174822/http://afghanag.ucdavis.edu/a_horticulture/fruits-trees/pomegranate|archive-date=5 December 2016}}</ref>

Although not native to Korea or Japan, the pomegranate is widely grown there, and many cultivars have been developed. It is widely used for [[bonsai]] because of its flowers and for the unusual twisted bark the older specimens can attain.{{fact|date=September 2025}} The term "balaustine" ({{langx|la|balaustinus}}) is also used for a pomegranate-red color.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Osborne, Roy |author2=Pavey, Don |title=On Colours 1528: A Translation from Latin |publisher=Universal Publishers |location=Parkland, Fla |year=2003 |isbn=978-1-58112-580-1 }}</ref>

[[File:Escudo de España (mazonado).svg|thumb|left|Coat of arms of Spain with a pomegranate at the bottom, symbolizing the [[Kingdom of Granada (Crown of Castile)|kingdom of Granada]]]]
<!-- [[File:Arms of Granada- Coat of Arms of Spain Template.svg|left|upright|thumb|Coat of arms of Granada]] -->
Spanish colonists later introduced the fruit to the [[Caribbean]] and America ([[Spanish America]]). However, in the [[British America|English colonies]], it was less at home: "Don't use the pomegranate inhospitably, a stranger that has come so far to pay his respects to thee," English Quaker [[Peter Collinson (botanist)|Peter Collinson]] wrote to the botanizing [[John Bartram]] in [[Philadelphia]], 1762. "Plant it against the side of thy house, nail it close to the wall. In this manner it thrives wonderfully with us, and flowers beautifully, and bears fruit this hot year. I have twenty-four on one tree... [[John Fothergill (physician)|Doctor Fothergill]] says, of all trees this is most [[:wikt:salutiferous|salutiferous]] to mankind."<ref>{{cite book |last=Leighton |first=Ann |title=American gardens in the eighteenth century: "for use or for delight" |publisher=University of Massachusetts Press |location=Amherst |year=1986 |page=242 |isbn=978-0-87023-531-3 }}</ref>
[[File:Illustration Punica granatum2.jpg|thumb|upright|Illustration by [[Otto Wilhelm Thomé]], 1885]]
The pomegranate had been introduced as an exotic to England the previous century, by [[John Tradescant the Elder]], but the disappointment that it did not set fruit there led to its repeated introduction to the American colonies, even New England. It succeeded in the South: Bartram received a barrel of pomegranates and oranges from a correspondent in [[Charleston, South Carolina]], 1764. John Bartram partook of "delitious" pomegranates with [[Noble Jones]] at [[Wormsloe Plantation]], near [[Savannah, Georgia]], in September 1765. [[Thomas Jefferson]] planted pomegranates at [[Monticello]] in 1771; he had them from [[George Wythe]] of [[Williamsburg, Virginia|Williamsburg]].{{sfnp|Leighton|1986|p=272}}

==Use==
===Culinary===
{{More citations needed section|date=January 2021}}

[[File:حبوب رمان.jpg|thumb|Pomegranate seeds are edible raw.]]
[[File:Pomegranate Stall in Xi An.JPG|thumb|upright|left|A stall selling pomegranate juice in [[Xi'an]], China]]

[[Pomegranate juice]] can be [[Taste#Sweetness|sweet]] or [[Sourness|sour]], but most fruits are moderate in taste, with sour notes from the acidic [[ellagitannin]]s contained in the juice.<ref name="Gómez Caravaca-2013"/> Pomegranate juice has long been a common drink in Europe and the Middle East, and is distributed worldwide.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.mprnews.org/story/2007/04/20/pomegranate | title=The pomegranate hits the peak of popularity | first=Nikki | last=Tundel | publisher= Minnesota Public Radio | date=20 April 2007 | url-status=live | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141129014751/http://www.mprnews.org/story/2007/04/20/pomegranate | archive-date=29 November 2014 }}</ref> Pomegranate juice is also used as a cooking ingredient. In Syria, it is added to intensify the flavor of some dishes such as ''[[kibbeh safarjaliyeh]]''.

[[Grenadine]] syrup, commonly used in [[cocktail]]s, originally consisted of thickened and sweetened pomegranate juice,<ref>{{cite book| first= Joseph |last= Favre |author-link=Joseph Favre |year= 1905 |title= Dictionnaire Universel de Cuisine Pratique: Encyclopédie Illustrée D'Hygiène Alimentaire|location=Paris |language= fr |page=1088}}</ref> but today is typically a syrup made just of sugar and commercially produced natural and artificial flavors, preservatives, and food coloring, or using substitute fruits (such as berries).

[[File:Asheanar.jpg|thumb|A bowl of ''[[ash-e anar]]'', an Iranian soup made with pomegranate juice]]

Before tomatoes (a New World fruit) arrived in the Middle East, pomegranate juice, [[pomegranate molasses]], and [[vinegar]] were widely used in many Iranian foods; this mixture is still found in traditional recipes such as ''[[fesenjān]]'', a thick sauce made from pomegranate juice and ground [[walnut]]s, usually spooned over [[Duck (food)|duck]] or other [[poultry]] and rice, and in ''ash-e anar'' ([[pomegranate soup]]).<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Burke | first1 = Andrew | title = Iran | publisher = Lonely Planet | date = 15 July 2008 | page = 82 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=gEca_4iSNCUC | access-date = 29 November 2010 | isbn = 978-1-74104-293-1 | quote = The anar (pomegranate) is native to the region around Iran and is eaten fresh and incorporated in a range of Persian dishes most famously in ''fesenjun'', but also in ''ash-e-anar'' (pomegranate soup) and in rich red ''ab anar'' (pomegranate juice).}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.internetserver.com/isc/cookbook/asheanar2.html |title=Ash-e Anar |website= Internetserver.com |access-date=14 June 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120211102205/http://www.internetserver.com/isc/cookbook/asheanar2.html |archive-date=11 February 2012 }}</ref>

Pomegranate seeds are used as a spice known as ''anar dana'' (from {{langx|fa-Latn|anar + dana}}, pomegranate + seed), most notably in Indian and [[Pakistani cuisine]]. Dried whole seeds can often be obtained in ethnic Indian markets. These seeds are separated from the flesh, dried for 10–15 days, and used as an acidic agent for [[chutney]] and [[curry]] preparation. Ground ''anardana'' is also used, which results in deeper flavoring in dishes and prevents the seeds from getting stuck in teeth. Seeds of the wild pomegranate variety known as ''daru'' from the Himalayas are considered high-quality sources for this spice.

Dried pomegranate seeds, found in some natural specialty food markets, still contain some residual water, maintaining a natural sweet and tart flavor. Dried seeds can be used in several culinary applications, such as [[trail mix]] or granola bars, or as a topping for salad, yogurt, or ice cream.

[[File:Pomegranate lambchops.jpg|thumb|right|Turkish lamb chops with candied [[figs]] and herbed mashed [[potato]]es, garnished with pomegranate]]

In Turkey, pomegranate sauce ({{langx|tr|nar ekşisi}}) is used as a salad dressing, to marinate meat, or simply to drink straight. Pomegranate seeds are also used in salads and sometimes as garnish for desserts such as ''[[güllaç]]''.<ref>{{cite news|first=Müge |last=Akgün |title=Güllaç, a dainty and light dessert |url=http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=83942 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080523122925/http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=83942 |archive-date=23 May 2008 |work=Turkish Daily News |publisher=DYH |location=Istanbul |date=22 September 2006 |access-date=26 December 2007 }}</ref> Pomegranate syrup, also called pomegranate molasses, is used in ''[[muhammara]]'', a roasted [[Capsicum|red pepper]], walnut, and [[garlic]] spread popular in [[Syria]] and Turkey.<ref>{{cite book |last=Malouf |first=Greg and Lucy |title=Saha |year=2006 |publisher=Hardie Grant Books |location=Australia |isbn=978-0-7946-0490-5 |page=46 }}</ref>

In Greece, pomegranate is used in many recipes, including ''kollivozoumi'', a creamy broth made from boiled wheat, pomegranates, and [[raisin]]s, [[legume]] salad with wheat and pomegranate, traditional Middle Eastern lamb [[kebabs]] with pomegranate glaze, pomegranate [[eggplant]] relish, and [[avocado]]-pomegranate dip. Pomegranate is also made into a [[liqueur]], and as a popular [[Greek sweets of the spoon|fruit confectionery]] used as [[ice cream]] topping, mixed with [[yogurt]], or spread as [[fruit preserves|jam]] on toast.

In Mexico, pomegranate seeds are commonly used to adorn the traditional dish ''[[chiles en nogada]]'', representing the red of the [[Mexican flag]] in the dish which evokes the green (poblano pepper), white (''nogada'' sauce) and red (pomegranate seeds)<ref>{{cite web |url= https://bcgusto.wordpress.com/2024/03/18/chiles-en-nogada-a-symbol-of-the-mexican-flag/|title= Chiles en nogada: A symbol of the mexican flag
 |author= Mucho Gusto |date= 18 March 2024
 |publisher= Gusto Journal|access-date=October 12, 2025 |url-status=live
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251012014819/https://bcgusto.wordpress.com/2024/03/18/chiles-en-nogada-a-symbol-of-the-mexican-flag/ |archive-date=October 12, 2025  }}</ref> tricolor.

===Other uses===
Pomegranate peels may be used to stain wool and silk in the carpet industry.<ref>{{cite journal |url= https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/15440478.2023.2282056?needAccess=true |title= Textiles Dyeing with Pomegranate (Punica granatum) Peel ExtractUsing Natural Mordant
 |author= Rong Yanga, Jianqin Lid, Gong Chenge, Angkhana Intab, and Lixin Yang |journal= Journal of Natural Fibers
 |date= November 27, 2023 |volume= 20
 |issue= 2
 |article-number= 2282056
 |publisher= Taylor & Francis |doi= 10.1080/15440478.2023.2282056
 |access-date=October 12, 2025 |doi-access= free
 }}</ref>

== Nutrition ==
{{nutritional value
| name=Pomegranates, raw
| image=Pomegranate arils.jpg 
| caption=Pomegranate seeds ([[sarcotesta]])
| water=78 g
| kJ=346
| protein=1.67 g
| fat=1.17 g
| carbs=18.7 g
| fiber=4 g
| sugars=13.67 g
| calcium_mg=10
| iron_mg=0.3
| magnesium_mg=12
| phosphorus_mg=36
| potassium_mg=236
| sodium_mg=3
| zinc_mg=0.35
| manganese_mg=0.119
| vitC_mg=10.2
| thiamin_mg=0.067
| riboflavin_mg=0.053
| niacin_mg=0.293
| pantothenic_mg=0.377
| vitB6_mg=0.075
| folate_ug=38
| choline_mg=7.6
| vitE_mg=0.6
| vitK_ug=16.4
| source_usda = 1
| note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/169134/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry]
}}
The edible portion of raw pomegranate is 78% water, 19% [[carbohydrate]]s, 2% [[protein (nutrient)|protein]], and 1% [[fat]] (table). A {{cvt|100|g}} serving of pomegranate sarcotesta provides 11% of the [[Daily Value]] (DV) for [[vitamin C]], 14% DV for [[vitamin K]], and 10% DV for [[folate]] (table), while the seeds are a rich source of [[dietary fiber]] (20% DV).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/2038/2|title=Nutrition data for raw pomegranate per 100 grams|publisher=NutritionData.com, Conde Nast; USDA FoodData Central|date=1 April 2019|access-date=20 April 2013|archive-date=30 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130330235253/http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/2038/2}}, NutritionData.com</ref>

== Research ==
=== Phytochemicals ===

==== Processing ====
The [[phenols|phenolic]] content of pomegranate juice is degraded by processing and [[pasteurization]] techniques.<ref name="Alper-2005">{{cite journal | last1=Alper | first1=N | last2=Bahceci | first2=KS | last3=Acar| first3=J | title=Influence of processing and pasteurization on color values and total phenolic compounds of pomegranate juice | journal=Journal of Food Processing and Preservation | volume=29 | issue=5–6 | year=2005 | doi=10.1111/j.1745-4549.2005.00033.x | pages=357–368}}</ref>

==== Juice ====
The most abundant [[phytochemicals]] in [[pomegranate juice]] are [[polyphenol]]s, including the [[hydrolyzable tannins]] called [[ellagitannins]] formed when [[ellagic acid]] and [[gallic acid]] bind with a [[carbohydrate]] to form [[pomegranate ellagitannin]]s, also known as [[punicalagins]].<ref name="Gómez Caravaca-2013"/> The red color of the juice is attributed to [[anthocyanin]]s,<ref name="Gómez Caravaca-2013"/> such as [[delphinidin]], [[cyanidin]], and [[glycoside]]s of [[pelargonidin]].<ref name="Hernández-1999"/> Generally, an increase in juice [[pigmentation]] occurs during fruit ripening.<ref name="Hernández-1999">{{cite journal|title=Evolution of juice anthocyanins during ripening of new selected pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') clones|vauthors=Hernández F, Melgarejo P, Tomás-Barberán FA, Artés F |journal=European Food Research and Technology|year= 1999|volume=210|issue=1|pages=39–42|doi=10.1007/s002170050529 }}</ref>

==== Peel ====
Pomegranate peel contains high amount of polyphenols, condensed tannins, [[catechins]], and [[prodelphinidins]].<ref>{{cite journal | doi = 10.1007/BF01231077 | volume=203 | title=Quantitative determination of the polyphenolic content of pomegranate peel | year=1996 | journal=Zeitschrift für Lebensmittel-Untersuchung und Forschung | pages=374–378 | last1 = Nasr | first1 = C. Ben| issue=4 | pmid=9123975 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Plumb GW, De Pascual-Teresa S, Santos-Buelga C, Rivas-Gonzalo JC, Williamson G |journal=Redox Rep. |volume=7 |issue=41 |year=2002 |pmid=11981454 |doi=10.1179/135100002125000172 |title=Antioxidant properties of gallocatechin and prodelphinidins from pomegranate peel |pages=41–6|hdl=10261/97986 }}</ref> The higher phenolic content of the peel yields [[extracts]] for use in [[dietary supplement]]s and food [[preservative]]s.<ref>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1016/j.foodchem.2005.02.033| title = Evaluation of antioxidant properties of pomegranate peel extract in comparison with pomegranate pulp extract| journal = Food Chemistry| volume = 96| issue = 2| pages = 254–260| year = 2006| last1 = Li | first1 = Y. | last2 = Guo | first2 = C. | last3 = Yang | first3 = J. | last4 = Wei | first4 = J. | last5 = Xu | first5 = J. | last6 = Cheng | first6 = S. }}</ref>

==== Seed ====
Pomegranate [[seed oil]] contains [[punicic acid]] (65%), [[palmitic acid]] (5%), [[stearic acid]] (2%), [[oleic acid]] (6%), and [[linoleic acid]] (7%).<ref>{{cite journal|title=Antioxidant and eicosanoid enzyme inhibition properties of pomegranate seed oil and fermented juice flavonoids |first1=Shay Yehoshua |last1=Schubert |first2=Ephraim Philip |last2=Lansky |first3=Ishak |last3=Neeman |journal=Journal of Ethnopharmacology |volume=66 |issue=1 |date=July 1999 |pages=11–17 |doi=10.1016/S0378-8741(98)00222-0|pmid=10432202 }}</ref>

=== Health claims ===
Despite limited research data, manufacturers and marketers of pomegranate juice have liberally used results from preliminary research to promote products.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/superfoods/Pages/is-pomegranate-a-superfood.aspx |title=Pomegranate: superfood or fad? |publisher=UK National Health Service (NHS) |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328033945/http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/superfoods/Pages/is-pomegranate-a-superfood.aspx |archive-date=28 March 2016 |date=26 April 2018 }}</ref> In February 2010, the FDA issued a [[FDA Warning Letter|warning letter]] to one such manufacturer, [[POM Wonderful]], for using published literature to make illegal claims of unproven antidisease effects.<ref name="USFDA">{{cite web |url=https://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/ucm202785.htm |title=Pom Wonderful Warning Letter |publisher=U.S. Food and Drug Administration |access-date=24 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110424142723/https://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/ucm202785.htm |archive-date=24 April 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fda.gov/Food/LabelingNutrition/ucm202784.htm |title=Understanding Front-of-Package Violations: Why Warning Letters Are Sent to Industry |website=[[Food and Drug Administration]] |access-date=24 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110319133653/https://www.fda.gov/Food/LabelingNutrition/ucm202784.htm |archive-date=19 March 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | author = Starling S | title = FDA says Pom Wonderful antioxidant claims not so wonderful | publisher = NutraIngredients.com | url = http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Regulation/FDA-says-Pom-Wonderful-antioxidant-claims-not-so-wonderful/?c=7InNqGv0Ajf%2BGsoljaV0RA%3D%3D | date = 3 March 2010 | access-date = 6 March 2010}}</ref>

In May 2016, the US [[Federal Trade Commission]] declared that POM Wonderful could not make health claims in its advertising, followed by a [[US Supreme Court]] ruling that declined a request by POM Wonderful to review the court ruling, upholding the FTC decision.<ref name="USFTC-2016">{{cite web|title=Statement of FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez Regarding Supreme Court's Decision Not to Review POM Wonderful Case|url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2016/05/statement-ftc-chairwoman-edith-ramirez-regarding-supreme-courts|publisher=Bureau of Consumer Protection, US Federal Trade Commission|access-date=18 July 2017|date=2 May 2016|quote=I am pleased that the POM Wonderful case has been brought to a successful conclusion. The outcome of this case makes clear that companies like POM making serious health claims about food and nutritional supplement products must have rigorous scientific evidence to back them up. Consumers deserve no less.|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170518144104/https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2016/05/statement-ftc-chairwoman-edith-ramirez-regarding-supreme-courts|archive-date=18 May 2017}}</ref><ref name="Sorvino-2016">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/chloesorvino/2016/05/02/the-verdict-pom-wonderful-misled-its-customers-a-blow-to-its-billionaire-owners/#53b8da454b94|title=The Verdict: POM Wonderful Misled Its Customers, A Blow To Its Billionaire Owners|author=Sorvino, Chloe|magazine=Forbes|date=2 May 2016|access-date=18 July 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170518112114/https://www.forbes.com/sites/chloesorvino/2016/05/02/the-verdict-pom-wonderful-misled-its-customers-a-blow-to-its-billionaire-owners/#53b8da454b94|archive-date=18 May 2017}}</ref>

== Symbolism ==

=== Ancient Assyria ===
The pomegranate was an important fruit in the culture and rituals of ancient [[Assyria]]. The [[Mesopotamian goddess]] of healing, [[Gula (goddess)|Gula]], was commonly depicted with a pomegranate in her hand, symbolizing it as a means of protection and healing from sickness.{{citation needed|date=July 2025}} Pomegranates were commonly used in ceremonies to promote agriculture and human reproduction, especially the seeds. It was believed that eating pomegranates would grant a long and prosperous life, as well as nourishment in the afterlife, due to the belief of the seeds representing eternal life. 

Pomegranates were also commonly depicted in Assyrian art pieces<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Collins |first=Paul |date=January 2006 |title=An Assyrian-Style Ivory Plaque from Hasanlu, Iran |journal=Metropolitan Museum Journal |volume=41 |pages=19–31 |doi=10.1086/met.41.20320658 }}</ref> to depict abundance and fruitfulness with the agricultural cycle,<ref>{{Citation |title=Openwork plaque with papyrus and pomegranates |date= |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324929 |access-date=2025-04-27}}</ref> and in the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] is an ivory bead object titled [[Pomegranate carved in the round]]. Today, the pomegranate remains an important symbol in modern [[Assyrian culture]].

===Ancient Iran===
Pomegranate, known as {{Transliteration|fa|anār}} in [[Persian language|Persian]], is a symbol of fertility, blessing, and favor in Iranian belief. Pomegranates are sacred in the [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrian]] religion and Zoroastrians used it in their religious rituals. The yellow color of the pomegranate stamens symbolizes the sun and light.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

The pomegranate tree has been one of the most sacred and holy plants in Iran and is believed to be grown from places where the blood of Siavash (the legendary Iranian character who is known for his innocence) was spilled. It has been mentioned in Iranian Pahlavi scripts as a fruit of heaven. It is also believed that the invulnerability of Esfandiar (Iranian legend) was related to this sacred fruit. The Zoroastrians of Iran believe that pomegranate is a blessed fruit as it is served in their festivals like Mehregan and Nowruz, and especially in their wedding ceremonies to wish for the newly married couple to have healthy children in the future. They also used to plant a pomegranate tree in their fire temples to use its leaves in their ceremonies.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.packtoiran.com/blogs/detail/84/Pomegranate---The-Persian-fruit-of-heaven |title=Pomegranate -The Persian fruit of heaven |publisher=packtoiran.com |access-date=20 October 2024}}</ref>

During the Iranian tradition, Yalda Night, people come together on winter solstice and eat pomegranate fruit to celebrate the victory of light over darkness.
<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/surprising-pomegranate-facts |title=5 things you didn't know about pomegranates |publisher=kew.org |access-date=20 October 2024}}</ref>

In a relief from [[Persepolis]], [[Darius the Great]] is holding a pomegranate flower with two buds. This Achaemenid king is accepting the representatives of all the subordinate lands of Greater Iran to his presence, while holding a large flower in his hand as a sign of peace and friendship.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

=== Ancient Egypt ===
[[File:Personification of Aegyptus holding pomegranate.jpg|left|thumb|Ancient Roman statue of Aegyptus, personification of the province of Egypt holding a pomegranate ]]
[[Ancient Egyptians]] regarded the pomegranate as a symbol of prosperity and ambition. It was referred to by the [[Semitic languages|Semitic]] names of ''jnhm'' or ''nhm''.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/botany/pomegranate.htm| title=Pomegranate| publisher=reshafim.org.il| access-date=21 October 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160225112437/http://reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/botany/pomegranate.htm| archive-date=25 February 2016}}</ref> According to the [[Ebers Papyrus]], one of the oldest medical writings from around 1500 BC, Egyptians used the pomegranate for treatment of [[Tapeworm infection|tapeworm]] and other infections.<ref name="Jayaprakasha-2006">{{cite book |title=Pomegranates: ancient roots to modern medicine |last=Jayaprakasha |first=G. K. |author2=Negi, P.S. |author3=Jena, B.S.  |editor1-last=Seeram |editor1-first=Navindra P. |editor2-last=Schulman |editor2-first=Risa N. |editor3-last=Heber |editor3-first=David |year=2006 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-0-8493-9812-4 |page=168 |chapter=Antimicrobial activities of pomegranate |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2yGXy6jVFbYC&pg=PA168}}</ref>

===Ancient and modern Greece===
[[Image:Hellenistic.jpg|thumb|A bronze [[Coinage of Side|coin of Side]], [[Pamphylia]], Turkey, 350–300 BC:
<br />*[[obverse]]: a [[Corinthian helmet|Crested Corinthian-helmeted]] bust of [[Athena]] right;
<br />*[[Obverse and reverse|reverse]]: a pomegranate fruit]]

A pomegranate is displayed on [[Coinage of Side|coins from Side]], as ''Side'' was the name for ''pomegranate'' in the local language, which is the city's name.<ref name="Turkish Odyssey">Turkish Odyssey [http://www.turkishodyssey.com/places/medit/medit3.htm Perge-Aspendus-Side-Alanya<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061114034707/http://www.turkishodyssey.com/places/medit/medit3.htm |date=14 November 2006 }} "Side was founded by Aeolians of the Aegean region. The history of the town extends back to the 7C BC. "Side" meant "pomegranate" in the local language. Until the Roman Imperial period, pomegranate was the symbol used on the coins of Side. "</ref><ref name="MA-Shops">{{cite web |title=Greek SIDE (Pamphylia) AE13. EF-. 1st century BC. Athena - Pomegranate. |url=https://www.ma-shops.com/an/item.php?id=2135 |website=MA-Shops |access-date=1 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301032802/https://www.ma-shops.com/an/item.php?id=2135 |archive-date=1 March 2023 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="VCoins">{{cite web |title=PAMPHYLIA, SIDE. AR Stater, circa 460-410 BC. Pomegranate / Athena |url=https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/musa_numismatic_art/193/product/pamphylia_side__ar_stater_circa_460410_bc__pomegranate__athena/1562290/Default.aspx |website=VCoins |access-date=1 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301033149/https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/musa_numismatic_art/193/product/pamphylia_side__ar_stater_circa_460410_bc__pomegranate__athena/1562290/Default.aspx |archive-date=1 March 2023 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="NumisBids">{{cite web |title=Numismatica Ars Classica - Auction 96 Lot 1114 |url=https://www.numisbids.com/n.php?p=lot&sid=1668&lot=1114 |website=NumisBids.com |access-date=1 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301032951/https://www.numisbids.com/n.php?p=lot&sid=1668&lot=1114 |archive-date=1 March 2023 |quote=Pamphylia, Side. Stater, circa 460-430 BC, ...Pomegranate within guilloche border. Rev. Head of Athena r., wearing Corinthian helmet, hair in a queue. All within incuse square.}}</ref><ref name="WildWinds">
* {{cite web |title=Pamphylia, Side - Ancient Greek Coins |url=https://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/pamphylia/side/i.html |website=WildWinds.com |access-date=1 March 2023}}
* [https://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/pamphylia/side/SNGFr_772.jpg Side, Pamphylia, AE16. ca. 310-380 BC. Helmeted head of Athena right. / ΣIΔH, pomegranate on a stalk, caduceus to left. SNG France III 772; SNG Pfalz 487-488] cngcoins.com, auction 145, lot 108, Aug. 2006.
</ref> The [[ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] city of [[Side, Turkey|Side]] was in [[Pamphylia]], a former region on the southern Mediterranean coast of Asia Minor (modern-day [[Antalya province]], Turkey).<ref>{{cite book |author=Sear, David R. |title=Greek coins and their values |publisher=Seaby |location=London |year=1978 |isbn=978-0-900652-46-2 }}</ref>

The Greeks were familiar with the fruit far before it was introduced to Rome via [[Carthage]], and it figures in multiple myths and artworks.<ref>{{cite book |title=The pomegranate; Issue 276 of Bulletin |last=Hodgson |first=Robert Williard |year=1917 |publisher=California Agricultural Experiment Station |page=165 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qbgaAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA165 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160503081811/https://books.google.com/books?id=qbgaAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA165 |archive-date=3 May 2016 }}</ref> In [[Ancient Greek mythology]], the pomegranate was known as the "fruit of the dead", and believed to have sprung from the blood of [[Adonis]].<ref name="Jayaprakasha-2006" /><ref>{{cite book |title=The Greek Myths |last=Graves |first=Robert |year=1992 |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=978-0-14-017199-0 |page=95 }}</ref>

[[File:Pomegranate (Punica granatum), Santorini (Thira), Greece.jpg|right|thumb| A pomegranate tree at [[Fira]], [[Santorini]] (Thera), [[Greece]]]]

The myth of [[Persephone]], the goddess of the [[Greek underworld|underworld]], prominently features her consumption of pomegranate seeds, requiring her to spend a certain number of months in the underworld every year. The number of seeds and therefore months vary. During the months that Persephone sits on the throne of the underworld beside her husband [[Hades]], her mother [[Demeter]] mourns and no longer gives fertility to the earth. This was an ancient Greek explanation for the [[seasons]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Ovid|title=Metamorphoses|volume=V |pages=385–571}}</ref>

According to [[Carl A. P. Ruck]] and [[Danny Staples]], the chambered pomegranate is also a surrogate for the poppy's [[opium|narcotic capsule]], with its comparable shape and chambered interior.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Staples, Danny |author2=Ruck, Carl A. P. |title=The world of classical myth: gods and goddesses, heroines and heroes |publisher=Carolina Academic Press |location=Durham, N.C. |year=1994 |isbn=978-0-89089-575-7}}</ref>

In another Greek myth, a girl named [[Side (daughter of Ictinus)|Side]] ("pomegranate") killed herself on her mother's grave to avoid suffering rape at the hands of her own father [[Ictinus (mythology)|Ictinus]]. Her blood transformed into a pomegranate tree.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Irving |first1=Paul M. C. Forbes |title=Metamorphosis in Greek Myths |date=1990 |publisher=Clarendon Press |isbn=978-0-19-814730-5 |pages=242–243 }}</ref> In a different myth, a [[Boeotia]]n woman named [[Side (wife of Orion)|Side]] was cast into the Underworld by [[Hera]], with the pomegranate symbolising her descent.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rose |first1=H. J. |title=A Handbook of Greek Mythology |date=2004 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-94756-0 |page=94 }}</ref>

In the fifth century BC, [[Polykleitos|Polycleitus]] took ivory and gold to sculpt the seated [[Argive]] Hera in her temple. She held a scepter in one hand and offered a pomegranate, like a "royal [[Globus cruciger|orb]]", in the other.<ref name="Pausanias">{{cite web|title=Pausanias, Description of Greece|url=http://www.theoi.com/Text/Pausanias2B.html|website=2,17,4|publisher=Loeb Classical Library|access-date=30 November 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111203154809/http://www.theoi.com/Text/Pausanias2B.html|archive-date=3 December 2011}}</ref> "About the pomegranate I must say nothing," whispered the traveller [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]] in the second century, "for its story is somewhat of a holy mystery".<ref name="Pausanias" /> The pomegranate has a calyx shaped like a crown. In Jewish tradition, it has been seen as the original "design" for the proper crown.<ref name="Parashat Tetzaveh">[http://www.bj.org/parashat_hashavua/parashat_tetzaveh_5765.php ''Parashat Tetzaveh''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060822020510/http://www.bj.org/parashat_hashavua/parashat_tetzaveh_5765.php |date=22 August 2006 }}, Commentary by Peninnah Schram, Congregation B'nai Jeshurun, New York</ref>

Within the [[Heraion at the mouth of the Sele]], near [[Paestum]], [[Magna Graecia]], is a chapel devoted to the ''Madonna del Granato'', "Our Lady of the Pomegranate", "who by virtue of her epithet and the attribute of a pomegranate must be the Christian successor of the ancient Greek goddess Hera", observes the excavator of the [[Heraion of Samos]], Helmut Kyrieleis.<ref>Kyrieleis, Helmut. "The Heraion at Samos" in ''Greek Sanctuaries: New Approaches'', [[Nanno Marinatos]] and Robin Hägg, eds. 1993, p. 143.</ref>

In modern times, the pomegranate still holds strong symbolic meanings for the Greeks. When one buys a new home, it is conventional for a house guest to bring as a first gift a pomegranate, which is placed under/near the ''[[ikonostasi]]'' (home altar) of the house, as a symbol of abundance, fertility, and good luck. When Greeks commemorate their dead, they make ''[[koliva|kollyva]]'' as offerings, which consist of boiled wheat, mixed with sugar and decorated with pomegranate. Pomegranate decorations for the home are very common in Greece and sold in most home goods stores.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20060111025311/http://www.christmasmagazine.com/en/spirit/xmas_greece.asp Christmas Traditions in Greece] by folklorist Thornton B. Edwards</ref>

==={{anchor|Ancient Israel and Judaism}}Ancient Israel and Judaism===
{{See also|Rimmon}}

====Hebrew Bible====



Pomegranates are one of the [[Seven Species]] (Hebrew: {{Lang|he|שבעת המינים}}, {{Lang|he-Latn|Shiv'at Ha-Minim}}) of fruits and grains enumerated in the [[Hebrew Bible]] ({{bibleverse||Deuteronomy|8:8|HE}}) as special products of the [[Land of Israel]].<ref name="Shafer-Elliott-2022">{{Citation |last=Shafer-Elliott |first=Cynthia |title=Fruits, Nuts, Vegetables, and Legumes |date=2022 |work=T&T Clark Handbook of Food in the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel |pages=142–143 |editor-last=Fu |editor-first=Janling |url=https://www.bloomsburyfoodlibrary.com/encyclopedia-chapter?docid=b-9780567679826&tocid=b-9780567679826-chapter8 |access-date=2025-07-27 |series=T&T Clark Handbooks |edition=1 |place=London |publisher=T&T Clark |language=en |isbn=978-0-567-67982-6 |editor2-last=Shafer-Elliott |editor2-first=Cynthia |editor3-last=Meyers |editor3-first=Carol}}</ref> The ''[[Song of Songs]]'' (also known as the ''Song of Solomon'') mentions the pomegranate six times,<ref name="Seeram-2006" /> often as a symbol of beauty and fertility. In one verse, the female lover is described: Your lips are like a crimson thread, and your mouth is lovely. Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate behind your veil" ({{Bibleverse|Song of Solomon| 4:3}}).<ref name="Shafer-Elliott-2022" />

Some Jewish scholars believe the pomegranate was the [[forbidden fruit]] in the [[Garden of Eden]], as described in the Book of Genesis.<ref name="A Pomegranate for All Religions">[http://www.beliefnet.com/story/179/story_17974_2.html "A Pomegranate for All Religions"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080521201241/http://www.beliefnet.com/story/179/story_17974_2.html|date=21 May 2008}} by Nancy Haught, ''Religious News Service''</ref> The [[Book of Exodus]]<ref>{{bibleverse-nb||Exodus|28:33–34|}}</ref> describes the ''[[me'il]]'' ("robe of the [[ephod]]") worn by the [[Kohen Gadol|Hebrew high priest]] as having pomegranates embroidered on the hem, alternating with golden bells, which could be heard as the high priest entered and left the [[Holy of Holies]]. In the Book of Numbers, pomegranates are listed among the fruits that the [[The Twelve Spies|scouts]] brought to [[Moses]] to demonstrate the fertility of the "[[Promised Land]]".<ref>''Why Hebrew Goes from Right to Left: 201 Things You Never Knew about Judaism'', Ronald H. Isaacs (Newark, 2008), page 129</ref><ref name="Shafer-Elliott-2022" /> According to the [[Books of Kings]],<ref>{{bibleverse-nb|1|Kings|7:13–22|}}</ref> the capitals of the two pillars ([[Jachin and Boaz]]) that stood in front of [[Solomon's Temple]] in [[Jerusalem]] were engraved with pomegranates. Solomon is said to have designed his coronet based on the pomegranate's "crown" ([[Sepal|calyx]]).<ref name="Parashat Tetzaveh" />

====Historical and traditional use====
[[File:Shekel_from_third_year_of_the_first_Jewish-Roman_war.jpg|thumb|A sprig of pomegranates (right) depicted on a silver [[shekel]] of the [[First Jewish Revolt coinage|Great Jewish Revolt]] (66–73 AD), featuring the inscription '[[Jerusalem]] the Holy' in [[Paleo-Hebrew script]]]]
The pomegranate appeared on the ancient coins of [[Judaea]], see [[Hasmonean coinage|Hasmonean]], [[Herodian coinage|Herodian]] and [[First Jewish Revolt coinage]].

[[File:Zeughausmuseum Köln. Rimonim, Torakrone, Mantel, Zeiger und Schild.jpg|thumb|Jewish [[Sefer Torah|Torah]] ornaments in the shape of pomegranates]]

The handles of [[Torah scroll]]s, when not in use, are sometimes covered with decorative silver globes similar in shape to pomegranates (''[[Torah rimmonim]]'').<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mobley |first=Beth |date=2009 |title=Ceremonial Objects from the Collection of Rabbi David A. Whiman |url=https://digitalcommons.tourolaw.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=exhibits |access-date=6 February 2024 |website=Digital Commons @ Touro Law Center}}</ref>

[[File:Girl with a pomegranate, by William Bouguereau.jpg|thumb|upright|''Girl with a Pomegranate'', by [[William-Adolphe Bouguereau]], 1875]]

Consuming pomegranates on [[Rosh Hashana]], the Jewish New Year, is traditional because, with its numerous seeds, it symbolizes fruitfulness.<ref name="A Pomegranate for All Religions" />

====Talmud and Kabbalah====
The pomegranate is said to have 613 seeds representing the [[613 commandments]] of the [[Torah]],<ref name="Seeram-2006">{{Cite book |last=Seeram |first=Navindra P. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3ofMBQAAQBAJ&dq=pomegranate+torah&pg=PP8 |title=Pomegranates: Ancient Roots to Modern Medicine |publisher=CRC Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-4200-0986-6}}</ref> but it is a misconception. There is no clear source for this claim, although it is used as a metaphor in the [[Talmud]] for numerous good deeds.<ref>{{cite web |title= What's the Truth about... Pomegranate Seeds? |website= Ou.org |date=5 June 2008 |access-date=14 June 2012 |url= http://www.ou.org/index.php/ou/print_this/44394/ |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120911171203/http://www.ou.org/index.php/ou/print_this/44394/ |archive-date=11 September 2012}}</ref>

=== In European Christian motifs ===
[[File:Botticelligranat bild.jpg|thumb|left|Detail from [[Sandro Botticelli|Botticelli's]] ''[[Madonna of the Pomegranate]]'' c.{{nbsp}}1487]]

In the earliest incontrovertible appearance of Christ in a mosaic, a fourth-century floor mosaic from [[Hinton St Mary]], Dorset, now in the [[British Museum]], the bust of Christ and the [[chi rho]] are flanked by pomegranates.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Stephenson |first1=Paul |title=Constantine: Roman Emperor, Christian Victor |date=2010 |publisher=Abrams |isbn=978-1-4683-0300-1 |page=1 and fig. 1 }}</ref>
Pomegranates continue to be a motif often found in [[Christianity|Christian]] religious decoration. They are often woven into the fabric of [[vestment]]s and [[Antependium|liturgical hangings]] or wrought in metalwork. Pomegranates figure in many religious paintings by the likes of [[Sandro Botticelli]] and [[Leonardo da Vinci]], often in the hands of the [[Virgin Mary]] or the [[infant Jesus]]. The fruit, broken or bursting open, is a symbol of the fullness of Jesus' [[Death of Jesus|suffering]] and [[Resurrection of Jesus|resurrection]].<ref name="A Pomegranate for All Religions" />

=== In Islam ===
[[Ar-Rahman|Chapter 55]] of the [[Quran]] mentions the pomegranate as a "favour" among many to be offered to those fearful to the "[[Allah|Lord]]" in "two [[Jannah|Gardens]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://quran.com/55:68?font=v1&translations=149%2C22%2C19%2C|title=Al-Rahman verse 68|website=Quran.com|access-date=23 February 2022}}</ref>

=== Armenia ===
[[File:Pomegranate in Malatia-Sebastia district.jpg|thumbnail|upright|right|200px|A pomegranate statue in [[Yerevan]], Armenia]]
The pomegranate is one of the main fruits in [[Armenian culture]] (alongside [[apricot]]s and [[grape]]s). Its juice is used with Armenian food and wine.{{how|date=September 2024}} The pomegranate is a symbol in Armenia, representing fertility, abundance, and marriage.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://armenpress.am/en/article/805811|title=Genealogy group propagandized pomegranate, symbol of Armenia, wealth and fertility at official opening of the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest|work=Armenpress|date=18 May 2015|access-date=15 December 2020}}</ref> It is also a semireligious icon. For example, the fruit played an integral role in a wedding custom widely practiced in ancient Armenia; a bride was given a pomegranate fruit, which she threw against a wall, breaking it into pieces. Scattered pomegranate seeds ensured the bride's future children.<ref>{{cite web|author=Violet Hudson|url=https://life.spectator.co.uk/articles/pomegranate-fruit-myths-made/|title=Pomegranate: the fruit that myths are made of|work=The Spectator|date=19 January 2017|access-date=15 December 2020|archive-date=25 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125025329/https://life.spectator.co.uk/articles/pomegranate-fruit-myths-made/}}</ref>

''[[The Color of Pomegranates]]'', a movie directed by [[Sergei Parajanov]], is a biography of the Armenian'' ashug'' [[Sayat-Nova]] (King of Song) which attempts to reveal the poet's life visually and poetically rather than literally.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/07/the-colour-of-pomegranates-sergei-parajanov-london-film-festival-2014|title=The colour of pomegranates: a chance to savour a poetic masterpiece|first=Tony|last=Paley|date=7 October 2014|newspaper=The Guardian|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529005155/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/07/the-colour-of-pomegranates-sergei-parajanov-london-film-festival-2014|archive-date=29 May 2016}}</ref>

=== Azerbaijan ===
{{Main|Goychay Pomegranate Festival}}
Every fall the [[Goychay Pomegranate Festival]] is held in the city of [[Goychay (city)|Goychay]].<ref>[http://iguide.travel/Goychay/Activities/Pomegranate_Festival iguide.travel] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006002220/http://iguide.travel/Goychay/Activities/Pomegranate_Festival |date=6 October 2011 }} Goychay Activities: Pomegranate Festival</ref>

=== China ===
Introduced to China during the [[Han dynasty]] (206{{nbsp}}BC{{Spaced en dash}}220{{nbsp}}AD), the pomegranate ({{zh|c=石榴|p=shíliu}}), in older times, was considered an emblem of fertility and numerous progeny. Pictures of the ripe fruit with the seeds bursting forth were often hung in homes to bestow fertility and bless the dwelling with numerous offspring, an important facet of traditional [[Chinese culture]].<ref>{{Cite book|title = Researches into Chinese Superstitions, Vol V. (Translated) |last1=Doré|first1=Henry|last2=Kennelly|first2=S.J.|year=1914|publisher=Tusewei Press|place=Shanghai|page=722}}</ref>

In modern times, the pomegranate has been used to symbolise national cohesion and ethnic unity by [[General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party]] [[Xi Jinping]], urging the Chinese population to "stick together like pomegranate seeds".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chik |first=Holly |date=6 March 2022 |title=Xi Jinping calls for China's ethnic groups to 'stick together like pomegranate seeds' |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3169451/xi-jinping-calls-chinas-ethnic-groups-stick-together |work=South China Morning Post}}</ref>

=== India ===
In some Hindu traditions, the pomegranate ({{Langx|sa-Latn|dāḍima}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=Heyn |first=Birgit |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1HUIZRFFMF8C&pg=PA117 |title=Ayurveda: The Indian Art of Natural Medicine and Life Extension |date=April 1990 |publisher=Inner Traditions / Bear & Co |isbn=978-0-89281-333-9 |page=117 |language=en}}</ref>) symbolizes prosperity and fertility, and is associated with both [[Bhumidevi|Bhumi]] (the earth goddess) and [[Ganesha]] (the one fond of the many-seeded fruit).<ref name="Suresh-1998">{{Cite book|title=Encyclopaedia of Hindu Gods and Goddesses|author=Suresh Chandra|year=1998|isbn=978-81-7625-039-9|publisher=Sarup & Sons|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mfTE6kpz6XEC&pg=PA39|page=39|quote=Bhumidevi (the earth goddess) ... Attributes: ... pomegranate ...}}</ref><ref name="Vijaya Kumar-2006">{{Cite book|title=Thousand Names of Ganesha|author=Vijaya Kumar|year=2006|isbn=978-81-207-3007-6|publisher=Sterling Publishers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=koNhqLCSxRgC|quote=...&nbsp;Beejapoori ... the pomegranate in His hand is symbolic of bounteous wealth, material as well as spiritual ...}}</ref>

===Kurdish culture===
The pomegranate is an important fruit and symbol in Kurdish culture. It is accepted as a symbol of abundance and a sacred fruit of ancient Kurdish religions. Pomegranate is used as a symbol of abundance in Kurdish carpets.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rostami |first1=Shirin |title=A Study on Symbols Roles in Shaping Appearances and Forms in Hand-Wovens of Kurdistan Province, Iran |journal=International Journal of Humanities and Cultural Studies |volume=2 |issue=3 |date=December 2015 |pages=1086–1095 }}{{predatory}}</ref>

=== Palestinian culture ===
In Palestinian culture, the pomegranate symbolizes fertility and is deeply embedded in folklore and traditions. A popular saying states, "The pomegranate fills the heart with faith," and it is believed that every seed should be eaten, as one [pomegranate seed] may have come from paradise.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pomegranate |url=https://palmuseum.org/en/support/tree-sponsorship/Pomegranate |website=The Palestinian Museum |access-date=24 March 2025 }}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Shoku.JPG|Pomegranate blossom before petal fall
File:Granatapfelblüte 3.jpg|Pomegranate [[sepal]]s and drying [[stamen]]s after fertilization and petal fall
File:Unripened pomegranate.jpg|Unripened pomegranate fruit
</gallery>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Wikispecies|Punica granatum}}
{{Cookbook|Pomegranate}}
{{Wiktionary}}
{{Commons|Punica granatum|''Punica granatum''}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20151005065612/https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/392.html Pomegranate - Trusted Health Information (MedlinePlus)]
* [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10814753/ Pomegranate - NIH article: Accurate Botanical Nomenclature: Pomegranate and the 'Aril' Misconception]

{{Herbs & spices}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q13188}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Pomegranates| ]]
[[Category:Aphrodisiac foods]]
[[Category:Crops originating from Asia]]
[[Category:Edible fruits]]
[[Category:Sour fruits]]
[[Category:Flora of Central Asia]]
[[Category:Flora of Nepal]]
[[Category:Flora of Western Asia]]
[[Category:Fruits originating in Asia]]
[[Category:Heraldic charges]]
[[Category:Indian spices]]
[[Category:Lythraceae]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1753]]
[[Category:Plants used in bonsai]]
[[Category:Symbols of Hades]]
[[Category:Flora of Iran]]
[[Category:Flora of Israel]]
[[Category:Flora of Palestine (region)]]
[[Category:Fruit trees]]
[[Category:Plants in the Bible]]
[[Category:Plant dyes]]
[[Category:Objects in Greek mythology]]
[[Category:Fruit]]