Pome Aid

How does one, or more specifically: How do I get the juice out of a pomegranate? I know it is in there

Pomegranates have been cultivated since the time of the Pharaohs but extracting the fruit’s goodness has always been so labor intensive to the point of preventing the fruit from being as popular as it could or should be.

The thick, leathery skin of the pomegranate covers hundreds of ruby-shaped seeds. Further complicating the juicing process, these seeds are blanketed in a white, inedible membrane. The juice of the pomegranate resides in the pulp of these seeds. And as a final obstacle - a tiny, true seed – about the flavor and texture of a grape seed resides within the bigger red flesh. These true seeds are edible but they are astringent and crunchy; they either provide a nice counterbalance to the rich juice of the fruit or are horribly bitter and must be avoided at all costs.

Modern, industrial techniques have improved juicing to the point that the nothing-remotely-subliminal-about-the-lady-shaped bottle filled with dark red juice is now nearly ubiquitous. And by ubiquitous, I mean available at the grocery store within a mile of my mom’s house in the exurban Midwest. The juice’s rise in popularity is based not so much on its flavor rather because pomegranates are rich in antioxidants – which are currently being extolled as the greatest health booster ever, like Vitamin C and botox combined and doubled capable of reversing the aging process and preventing N1H1 or something like that. As the juice becomes more commonplace, the red fruit itself is an increasingly familiar sight in the market.

The Saucytorium had 5 books gave nearly identical directions on how to juice a pomegranate – I’m not sure this culinary zeitgeist is due to the superiority of this particular method or it is the result of tepid research that relies more on reading than doing – creating an echo chamber of well-footnoted but not practical information. The most cited method advises to quarter the fruit and then separate the seeds from the skin over a bowl of water – the seeds will sink and the pithy membrane will rise to the top. From there the seeds can be pureed and strained.

I prefer to either half the fruit through its equator and press it in my juicer. Better still, especially when there is company to impress, I roll the fruit gently back and forth across a flat surface, applying enough pressure to loosen the seeds from the membrane and release the juice but not enough force to break the skin of the fruit. No hurry in this, only a gentle consistent touch. Switch directions, make sure the pole ends of the fruit are rolled across the surface. Take your fingertips and with even less pressure than you are applying as you roll, touch the surface, pushing the skin ever so slightly towards the center - As the juice becomes liberated from the seeds the feel of the fruit will change from firm to soft and redolent. When the skin feels supple and the fruit feels heavy and soft, pierce the skin with tip of a paring knife.

At this point, either place your lips over the hole – removing the juice with a natural straw or if you want to share the pomegranate juice in a more PG-13 manner, you can squeeze the contents into the glass. Juicing in this manner is like foreplay – it should go slow, focused concentration used to extract the most out of the task at hand - impatience and desire should build - tempered by the knowledge of the eventual reward. It is easier to buy a bottle and chug – and there is a place for both. The bottle is around all year, the fruit is here for the weeks around Christmas, enjoy it while it lasts.

Next post will be all about pomegranate facts and lore.