Pomegranates in Paradise


I've always loved the deep crimson and overall weirdness of pomegranates. What other fruit comes in pods like that? As a child who devoured Greek mythology, the fact that Persephone ate six pomegranate seeds that would doom her to six months in the underworld with Hades, added to the drama. But I'd never actually seen a pomegranate tree until I was in Eleuthera.



The ancient pomegranate is native to Persia and the Himalayas but occasionally grows on some Bahamian islands.  Persians (Iranians) believe that it was a pomegranate that tempted Eve, not a boring apple.



I got a kick seeing pomegranates growing on spindly trees, surrounded by hibiscus, yellow elder and Royal poinciana tropical flowers. It truly looked like the garden of paradise.  Have you spotted any surprising plants or fruits on your travels?

Comments

Catherine said…
we have pomegranates here in mexico and i love the colours of the split fruit and the taste too -strangest and the worst fruit ever encountered must be the sputnik DURIANS in Thailand - tasting like custard (yuk) and smelling like sewers (WORSE) they are not unsurprisingly banned from planes, banks and all public buildings!!
I was sooooo excited to see pineapples growing wild in Cuba. And coffee! (much harder to spot - someone had to show me)

Also, they had so many fruits which I've simply never heard of, so that was very interesting.
Fly Girl said…
Catherine, I didn't know pomegranates grew in Mexico. Durians sound really nasty.

Rachel, wild pineapple sounds heavenly. There are always lots of foreign fruits that you've never heard of. It's hard to remember them if you never see them again.
Radical Selfie said…
Ah, yes, these were a childhood favorite of mine! Back home (Jamaica), we call them pongonots, and we had a few trees in our front yard. They're delicious!!
Avis said…
My great grandmother had a pomegranate tree in her Florida yard when we were growing up. We just loved opening the fruit and seeing all those fascinating individual seeds in the sweetest, juice-filled pods. Who knew how healthy it was!
Fly Girl said…
Akila, pogonots? I thought I had tasted every fruit there was in Jamaica!

Avis, your grandma had a pomegranate tree? That really sounds like an idyllic childhood.
I first fell for pomegranates when I visited Granada (hence the name, pomegranates translate as granada in Spanish). The grew wild in the greenery that surrounded the apartment in which we stayed, up high in the mountains of Alpujarra. I love that crimson colour and that flesh. Many thanks for such a beautiful post.

Greetings from London.
eden said…
I buy pomegranates here from time to time. It is not that cheap but I love pomegranates and I can afford only few pieces.

thanks for visiting
Have a nice day
Fly Girl said…
Cubano, I actually just learned that pomegranates are granadas in Spanish and that grenadine syrup is made from them.

Eden, pomegranates are pretty cheap here but I agree, any price is worth it.
Toni said…
It wasn't a case of 'seeing it' but smelling it...walking through my dad's neighbours place in Spain and smelling pineapple thyme...I wanted to eat it there and then! Yummy :)
Wild! The stem doesn't look nearly strong enough to hold that large and luscious a fruit. Years ago I watched locals pluck and eat small fruits off of trees as they waited for bus transportation in Bermuda. I finally had to ask and found out that the fruits were loquats (similar to kumquats). And they were yummy!
Fly Girl said…
Toni, pineapple tyme sounds heavenly! THanks for dropping by.

Heather,loquats? Sounds like something I'll investigate further in Bermuda.
Jean-Luc Picard said…
So beautiful and yummy!
Fly Girl said…
Jean-Luc, I don't think they looked so beautiful on their little spindly brnches but they were yummy.
tobes said…
fly girl i love your blog so gla to have found it
i so wanna go to cuba and get some of this preetys ^_^
Fly Girl said…
Tobes, Cuba is at the top of my list too. Thanks for dropping by.
woofy said…
pomegranates grows all over in my home country, I was once very excited to see some dragonfruit tree in vietnam
mina said…
pomegranates are my favorite fruit - i just wish it wasn't so tedious to take out all those seeds!
Fly Girl said…
Woofy, your home country must be a magical place with pomegranates everywhere. Thanks for dropping by.

Mina, all that work is exactly what keeps pomegranates from being my all time favorite fruit. Thanks for visiting.
Eileen said…
loquats are nisperos in Chile, and not similar to kumquats! They´re called ameixa amarela (sp), yellow plum in Portuguese. Love them all. Love all the improbable fruits, minus tree tomato, and possibly durian, though I´ve never had the pleasure.

I could us a pomegranite right now! They´re grown as an ornamental in some gardens in Chile, and also for the fruit (bigger). Delish! Thanks for a tasty post!

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