Navigate to Holidays section

Consider the Pomegranate

It’s more than symbolic—it’s delicious, if you know what to do with it. Try it for dessert this Rosh Hashanah.

by
Hugh J. Remar
September 15, 2020

Micah Siva

Micah Siva

A most Jewish fruit, the pomegranate has a history even more indelible than its juice. With its distinctive crown-topped shape, it’s recognizable to many Jews as an object, typically making its annual guest appearance on the dinner table around Rosh Hashanah. Yet its culinary fortitude tends to be downplayed by many Jews (especially Ashkenazim), its puckery flavor still on the outskirts of the American palate.

Native to what is now Iran, the pomegranate is one of the oldest domesticated fruit trees in the Middle East, with anthropologists dating its cultivation back to about the fifth century BCE. It makes numerous appearances in Jewish texts, notably as one of the Seven Species in the Hebrew Bible—crops exalted in the Land of Israel. The ancient Israelites would have used the pomegranate in a variety of fashions, culinarily and otherwise. It certainly would have been used in winemaking, the most efficient way to enhance enjoyment and mitigate spoilage. Its seeds, eaten fresh or dried, would also have doubled as a potent red dye for garments and tapestries.

The pomegranate has a robust iconographic history—making appearances on ancient Judean coins and adorning pillars in the First Temple. It’s also a prominent design element in Torah coverings, ancient and contemporary; the round finials that adorn the tops ofTorah scrolls are called rimonim (the Hebrew plural of pomegranate), the spherical shape and sweetness of the fruit providing the name.

It seems the pomegranate first appeared on the Rosh Hashanah table around the 14th century. We can credit Rabbi David Abudarham, an Andalusian rabbi noted for his Sefer Abudarham, with the first written link between the ancient fruit and the Jewish new year: “May our blessings proliferate like the [seeds of the] pomegranate.” So the prayer goes. It’s still a contemporary custom, particularly among Sephardic communities, to mythologize that pomegranates contains as many seeds (613) as there are mitzvot.

This is all to say: This time of year, as the pomegranate enters a period of spiritual and agricultural abundance—its peak season begins around early autumn—the home cook is often miffed, at a loss for what to do with a most lauded, most curious Jewish fruit.

It’s certainly the black sheep of produce in the restaurant industry. During my years as a chef, I found myself scandalized by the derision the pomegranate faced. A resounding Uch! and a withering eye roll were the general reaction from colleagues. Sometimes, if the mood lifted, a few seeds would end up on a delicate salad. Always a garnish, never a bride.

Maybe it’s the press, or an American sensibility that values the familiar, that’s kept the pomegranate at the proverbial kids’ table. Maybe this Rosh Hashanah, it’s time for it to move on up and become more than a symbol in a centerpiece, or a salad topper.

Flavorwise, pomegranates have a special tang, resting somewhere between sweet and tart. They’re fresh, but also have a subtle tannic structure—the same properties that give wine its astringent sensation—meaning they pair well with both sweet and savory fare.

They’re brilliant in appetizers—I’m a fan of badrijani, a Georgian dish composed of eggplant, rolled around a filling of nuts and topped with pomegranate seeds. Fancy an entree? They provide the main flavor of fesenjan, a Persian stew with walnuts and poultry. In the beverage department, pomegranates are the main ingredient in grenadine, the sweet-tart syrup essential to a Shirley Temple.

But it’s my affection for dessert that makes me especially fond of pomegranates. Freeze some sweetened pomegranate juice to make the world’s easiest granita. Or utilize the tart notes of pomegranate to balance out the richness of this rice pudding. The beauty of this dessert is its unabashed simplicity. It’s also dairy-free, though if you feel the urge to toss in some butter, no one will stop you.

This dish also brings back particularly sweet memories, my father picking me up from school and taking me to my favorite restaurant—a very rundown kebab shop, run by a very lovely, very toothless Persian Jew. I would always get a rice pudding. And, if I was lucky, a pomegranate juice.

Rice Pudding With Pomegranate Sauce

Rice pudding

3
cups cooked white rice*
2
14 oz. cans (about 3 1/3 cups) coconut milk
1/2
cup sugar
1
tablespoon honey
3-4
cardamom pods
1/8
teaspoon cinnamon (a few dashes)
1
star of anise
1/2
teaspoon vanilla extract, or half a vanilla pod
pinch of salt
2
tablespoons butter (optional)

Pomegranate sauce

1/2
cup pomegranate molasses
1 1/2
cup pomegranate juice (fresh or good quality)
1/4
cup sugar
small squeeze of lemon juice
pinch of salt

Rice pudding

  1. In a large sauce pan, heat your coconut milk, sugar, honey, and spices until sugar has dissolved. Add your cooked rice and stir to incorporate. Bring mixture to boil, and continue stirring to prevent burning on the bottom. Continue to cook pudding on a low to medium boil for 20-30 minutes (this will depend on your stove and on the starch content of your rice), until you’ve achieved a sturdy, puddinglike consistency. Trust your intuition. Feel free to add some butter at any point. This will naturally thicken as it cools.
  2. I find this rice pudding best served slightly warm or at room temperature.

*The choice of rice is ultimately up to you, though I prefer a medium grain Japonica style rice for its fragrance and starch content. Persian rice or a Thai style jasmine rice also work well. Brown rice will not work.

Pomegranate sauce

  1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook while occasionally stirring, until sauce has reduced by about half and has the consistency of maple syrup, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
  2. Be careful not to let syrup burn or turn to caramel; overcooking will darken the color and yield a too-thick syrup. Go low and slow. You can alternatively purchase a pre-made pomegranate sauce to save time.
  3. Put rice pudding in a serving bowl or glass. Drizzle with pomegranate sauce, and top generously with fresh pomegranate seeds.

This sauce is also excellent drizzled over cheesecake, should you be so inclined.

Makes 4 Servings

The Recipe


Rice Pudding with Pomegranate Sauce

Rice Pudding with Pomegranate Sauce

Hugh J. Remar is a bartender and chef from New York City.