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The first post of  “Pomegranate Week” is one of the ways in which Persians like to eat pomegranate. Dare I say, that’s for when there is more polite company around. One of my fondest memories of eating pomegranate is a much much simpler way.

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Technically, you are not eating the pomegranate, what you are doing is juicing it and drinking it! However, you  don’t need a juicer…all you need is a little strength! Raise your hand if you like Pomegranate juice!

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Take a pomegranate that is small to medium.  Then press your thumbs in the peel.  You will hear a crunching sound. Note the one in the picture is too big. It is much easier to handle a smaller pomegranate.

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Go around the pomegranate  and crunch all over until it gets wrinkly.  You are basically crunching the little pomegranates which release their juices.  Press firmly, but not too hard, you don’t want to burst the fruit.  Sometimes it helps to put one thumb over the other and press.

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With your mouth bite into the skin and suck the juice.  Mmmm! So good! What you get is 100% pomegranate juice!

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I have a question for you readers. When you eat pomegranate, what do you do with the seeds? Do you spit them out or eat them? For me it depends on the pomegranate. For example, the one in the picture above was perfect and the seeds were on the softer side so I ate them.  But the ones from the previous post, which ironically I bought from the farmer’s market, were tough and I had to spit them out.

How about you? What do you do?

Please click on the following links for other recipes featured in the “Pomegranate Week”  2009 edition:

Persians’ Love Affair with Pomegranate

Khoresht Fesenjan ~ Persian Pomegranate and Walnut Stew