The pomegranate is one of the most symbolically rich fruits in human culture. It appears in the founding texts of at least five major religions, the mythology of ancient Greece, the architecture of Solomon’s Temple, and the marketing copy of modern juice companies.
Ancient origins
The pomegranate likely originated in the region spanning modern Iran, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan. It was one of the earliest cultivated fruits, with evidence of cultivation dating back to at least 3000 BCE in the Near East.
Carbonized pomegranate rinds have been found at Bronze Age sites across the Mediterranean. The fruit appears in Egyptian tomb paintings, Babylonian cuneiform tablets, and Homeric epics. Pomegranate trees surrounded the palace at Nimrud. The Phoenicians traded pomegranates across the Mediterranean.
The pomegranate thrives in arid and semi-arid climates, which made it ideal for the ancient Middle East. It tolerates drought, poor soil, and extreme heat better than most fruit trees.
Spain (from the Moors), India (ancient trade routes), and eventually California and South America all became significant growing regions.
Mythology and religion
In Greek mythology, Persephone ate six pomegranate seeds in the underworld, binding her to Hades for six months of each year. This myth explained the seasons: winter is Demeter mourning her daughter’s absence. The pomegranate’s association with death and rebirth runs deep in Mediterranean culture.
In Judaism, the pomegranate is one of the Seven Species of the Land of Israel. A popular tradition holds that each pomegranate contains 613 seeds, corresponding to the 613 commandments (mitzvot) of the Torah. (Actual seed counts vary from about 200 to 1,400.) Pomegranate motifs decorated Solomon’s Temple and appear on Torah scroll covers.
In Christianity, the pomegranate symbolizes resurrection and eternal life. It appears in Renaissance paintings, often held by the infant Jesus or the Virgin Mary.
In Islam, the pomegranate is mentioned in the Quran as one of the fruits of paradise. The Prophet Muhammad reportedly recommended eating pomegranates.
In Hinduism, the pomegranate is associated with the goddess Bhoomidevi (Earth Mother) and symbolizes fertility and prosperity. The god Ganesha is sometimes depicted holding a pomegranate.
Apple of many seeds
“Pomegranate” comes from medieval Latin pōmum grānātum: “apple with many seeds” (or “grained apple”). The French grenade comes from the same root. The explosive device is named after the fruit because early grenades, spherical shells filled with small projectiles, resembled pomegranates full of seeds.
The Spanish city of Granada is named after the pomegranate. The fruit appears on its coat of arms. The Moors who ruled the region for centuries cultivated pomegranate orchards extensively.
The French word grenadine (as in the syrup) literally means “of the pomegranate,” though modern grenadine is often made from other red fruits or artificial flavoring.
Superfood or super marketing
In the early 2000s, POM Wonderful, a California-based company, spent hundreds of millions of dollars marketing pomegranate juice as a health elixir. Their ads claimed benefits for heart health, prostate cancer, and erectile dysfunction.
In 2013, the Federal Trade Commission ruled that POM’s health claims were deceptive and not supported by adequate evidence. The company was barred from making disease-prevention claims without reliable scientific evidence.
Pomegranates do contain punicalagins and other polyphenols with antioxidant properties. But “antioxidant” is a laboratory measurement, not a medical outcome. The research on pomegranate’s health benefits is mixed: some small studies show promising results for blood pressure and inflammation, but large-scale clinical trials are limited.
The pomegranate’s journey from mythological symbol to supermarket superfood is a story about marketing as much as nutrition. The fruit is genuinely delicious and nutritious. The claims built around it were often ahead of the evidence.