How to choose a ripe pomegranate?

Pomegranate - a beautiful exotic fruit is one of the most unusual and useful.At the same time, the cost of such a product cannot be called affordable. Therefore, it is especially important for the buyer to choose the pomegranate that will definitely delight him with its ripe taste. But to choose, indeed, a good grenade in the store, not to get caught on the tricks of dishonest sellers, you need to have some experience and knowledge. Just as in order to peel such a fruit and get to the delicious red seeds.

Many are accustomed to thinking that pomegranate is a fruit, which is why both suppliers and buyers call it that way. However, given the botanical features of the pomegranate, it becomes obvious that this is a berry. Pomegranate grows on the branches of small trees and shrubs. It is a fairly large-sized fruit, round shape, with a characteristic unusual "tail." Inside the fruit is not the flesh, like most fruits and berries, but small grains. On average, there are about 500 pieces in one grenade. They are separated by a thin light skin.

This fruit is one of the most ancient. His homeland is considered to be the Arabian Peninsula. But also garnet grows in many states with a tropical climate, and even in subtropics. Namely: in the Middle East, the Caucasus, Turkey, Spain, Greece, Italy, Portugal and the like. On the territory of Russia and neighboring countries, pomegranate trees can be found in the south of Dagestan, Azerbaijan and near the Black Sea, for example, in Abkhazia.

Unusual fruits of the guarantor - a real storehouse of vitamins and useful trace elements. Like many red fruits, pomegranate favorably affects the condition of people who suffer from diseases of the cardiovascular system (hypertension, anemia, etc.). But also in pomegranate there is a large amount of fiber, organic acids, fructose and glucose. And also vitamins of group B, A, C, E, PP. In addition, pomegranate is an excellent antioxidant, in this indicator it is superior to apple, orange and pineapple juice, even green tea, and also helps restore the balance of hormones in the body.

Regular consumption of ripe pomegranate seeds helps to cope with depression and improves mood. And also, according to nutritionists, pomegranate is a dietary product and helps burn excess fat. So, overweight people should especially look at this delicacy.

Around the world there are many different varieties of pomegranate. They vary in taste, size and appearance. Finding the best of them is quite difficult, because each person has different taste preferences. Therefore, we consider only some common varieties that have won the love of buyers.

This is the most popular variety of pomegranate in Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan. "Galyusha" can be 2 types: red and pink. The first variant of the fruit is characterized by large size - the weight of one pomegranate can reach 400 grams. The grains of red "Galyushi" have a rich scarlet color and a pronounced sweet-sour taste. The fruits of the pink "Galyushi" are about 2 times smaller than the red. Fruit grains are not as rich in color, and their juiciness is about 50 percent.

Pomegranate of this variety is the pride of Iran. The fruit tree blooms incredibly beautiful! Ripe pomegranates are medium sized, pink-green skin. The seeds are colored pink and, contrary to the usual logic, the lighter than the grain of “Ahmar” - the sweeter they are. Another distinctive feature of this fruit was the extremely high amount of sugar in the composition. On this basis, the fruit "Ahmar" surpasses many other fruits.

If you still believed that the pomegranate must be red or pink, this was a delusion.In the south of Italy, Egypt and Spain grows white pomegranate. At first glance, it seems that the fruit is just still ripening. But in fact, the grains of white pomegranate are no less tasty, sweet and healthy than the grains of the traditional varieties of this fruit.

Not only abroad you can enjoy a ripe fruit directly from a branch. In the steppe part of the Crimean peninsula an unusual tree grows, on which weighty oval pomegranate fruits appear. Their skin is rather thin and has a light cream shade with scarlet specks. Grains have a sweet taste with a pleasant sourness.

This type of exotic fruit grows in India. He is considered to be the sweetest in the world. Fruits are small and dark peel. Grains, on the contrary, are rather light, pale pink. They are used not only as food, but also for medical purposes. In particular, a decoction based on this fruit helps to fight dysentery. And also to cope with the pain of bruises and fractures, to accelerate the healing of tissues.

Select on the shelves of a truly ripe and tasty pomegranate is quite difficult. After all, it can not be opened and looked to determine the degree of maturity of its kernels. However, there are still some tricks, and you need to remember them before you go to the store for shopping. When choosing a pomegranate worth paying attention to several factors.

If the grains of the fruit are fully ripe and filled with delicious juice, then the fruit takes on an angular, square look. Ideally round fruits are almost always immature, remember this. The degree of maturity of the fruit depends on the saturation of the skin tone (but do not forget about the white variety of pomegranate). The petals on the top of a ripe pomegranate should be dryish, not solid and green.

In its dimensions, a ripe fruit looks like an orange or an apple. But depending on the variety, there are larger grenades. If you cannot understand which of the two fruits is about the same size to choose, take the one that is heavier. Since it will certainly be more delicious.

The largest suppliers of pomegranate on the world market for many years are Egypt, India, Israel, Peru, Spain, Turkey. But this is not the whole list of states. Before identifying a particular country, it is necessary to clarify what the crop is there this year, and specify the season of sale.

If you buy more than a pair of pomegranates that you are going to eat at one time, then it is important to know the rules for proper storage of the fruit. After all, otherwise even the most mature and tasty fruit will lose its beneficial properties. Immediately make a reservation that sweet varieties of pomegranate are stored less than sour. Thus, the latter will not deteriorate even after six months of storage in the refrigerator at a temperature of +1 C. And at a temperature of about +10 degrees the fruits are stored for about 40-60 days.

In order to accommodate the fruits that ripen at home, you can use wooden or glass boxes. Place them in the basement, unglazed loggia or in the refrigerator. But you can also freeze the grains of fruit for a long time.

How to choose a ripe pomegranate, see the next video.