By Joel Denker
The Promised Land, Moses assured his followers, had a plenitude of “wheat and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates.” Wandering in exile through the desert, the Jews pined for the fruits they had enjoyed in Egypt. They especially treasured the pomegranate, which grew prolifically in the holy land. A thirst quenching fruit in the hot, dry climate, it was to them more than a food. It was a symbol of holiness, fertility, and abundance.
The ancient fruit, one of the earliest to be cultivated, was sacred and mythic in many cultures. The pomegranate, it was widely believed, was the “apple” of the Garden of Eden. In recent years, however, marketers have transformed it. It has been turned into a panacea for inner health and outer beauty.
Bursting with seeds, the pomegranate enchanted the Jews. They associated it with the first commandment of the Torah, their scripture-to be fruitful and multiply. Each of the pomegranate’s 613 seeds, it was said, stood for one of their mitzvahs, or commandments.
The Jews incorporated the fruit in their rituals. Honored as one of the shivat haminim, the seven foods the Bible ties to Israel, it is savored on the second day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. An auspicious fruit, it is a promise of prosperity and good fortune.
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To learn more about pomegranates, see The Carrot Purple and Other Curious Stories of the Food We Eat, coming in October from Rowman & Littlefield: https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781442248861/The-Carrot-Purple-and-Other-Curious-Stories-of-the-Food-We-Eat.
