You can talk about the benefits of pomegranate endlessly – it is rich in essential trace elements and vitamins, it serves to increase immunity and hemoglobin. It is recommended for depression, heart, kidney and liver diseases, blood pressure disorders. The composition of the pomegranate includes iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, sodium – a whole piggy bank that replaces a pack of vitamins from a pharmacy. Pomegranate can be used with virtually no waste – in addition to juice and grains, a huge amount of nutrients contains both the peel, and the seeds, and even the films that we used to throw away. I think it will be very unpleasant, having bought this wonderful berry, to find that it is rotten or unripe.
There are a few rules to remember when choosing a pomegranate
Naturally, first of all, you need to pay attention to the color of the fetus – it should be red with an orange shade (with the exception of special varieties of pink grenade), without brown or black spots indicating the beginnings of the onset. A flat, bright color suggests that the grenade has completely ripe before it was torn off the tree.
How to choose a grenade right
The surface of the grenade can be dry and slightly obedient, but in no case dry, in this case, the filling will most likely turn out to be rotten or dried up to a state of unsuitability. The skin of the ripe grenade is slightly rough, if it is smooth – it means that it was ripped off before ripening. There should not be chips and cracks – when it enters the air, the grenades quickly deteriorate and dry out. To the touch, the pomegranate fruit is hard, the skin is thin – the outlines of the grains should be visible under it – then we can be sure that the fruit is fresh and has not lain in the warehouse for a long time. Pomegranates that have been stored for a long time have practically no juice, the grains dry out and lose their taste and appearance.
Be sure to pay attention to the tail of the pomegranate – it should be a small “crown” of dried petals, without green or yellow shoots. The perfect tail indicates that the taste of the pomegranate will be juicy and sweet.
We should not forget about the size of the fruit – the most delicious pomegranates are large and heavy, because ripe grains become more juicy and, accordingly, have more weight than unripe ones. The weight of the pomegranate of the best varieties can reach 700 gr., and the size is up to 18 cm. in diameter. Necessarily hard – softness indicates that it was either crushed along the way, or the berries were frozen.
How to choose the right pomegranate
Ripe pomegranate has no smell. And cutting it, we should find bright, translucent, scarlet grains, divided into segments by the thinnest light films. There are also sweet pomegranates with pale pink seeds – this is a special variety grown in Turkey. They have a lighter skin and have recently gained wide popularity due to their bright and juicy taste. Sweet pink pomegranates are pleasant to eat, but, unfortunately, they are not suitable for decorating dishes – the grains are too pale in color.
In order to choose a ripe pomegranate, you can lightly tap on it, if the sound is deaf, then the fruit has not yet ripened and you need to choose further. A sonorous knock speaks about the ripeness of the fruit – this means that the berries are full of ripe juice, about overripe – muffled.
It is more convenient to buy pomegranates in the market, where you can always ask to cut it and taste it. Unfortunately, this is not available in stores.
When choosing a pomegranate, you need to take into account where it was brought from. Logically, the farther from us the country where it grew, the more likely it is to buy a spoiled berry. Such fruits are harvested green and they ripen already in the process of transportation. Accordingly, both taste and useful qualities of pomegranate are lost.
Pomegranate can be consumed in its usual form, or you can cook various dishes from it. For example, add to salad. In addition, you can make pomegranate juice, which has an excellent antipyretic effect.
How to choose the right pomegranate
Having remembered all these simple rules, the next time you buy this unique “royal” berry, we can be sure that we will not make a mistake in our choice.
