THE CROWN-WEARING POMEGRANATE

If you eat pomegranate regularly then your heart will work like clockwork, and old age will keep away from your door for long time. We can enjoy this splendid fruit from October right through to January. It is no accident that the pomegranate is the national symbol of Azerbaijan. It is precisely in Azerbaijan that all sorts of this unique fruit grow.  

The king of fruits

The translation of the Latin word Granatus" is "grainy". The pomegranate is really the king of fruits. It is simply unique in its composition. Since ancient times the pomegranate has widely been used as both a medicine and in the preparation of cosmetics. The pomegranate's beneficial qualities are widely recognised. According to legend, it is precisely the crown on the top of the pomegranate that gave people the idea for the shape of royal headgear. In our time, the reputation of superfruit has been added to the title of king, owing to its extraordinary medicinal properties. Dioscorides, Galenus, Columella and many other scholars and philosophers in ancients times wrote about its medicinal properties. Avicenna wrote the following about the pomegranate: "A sour pomegranate, especially the  juice from it has a bile-ridding effect. Pomegranate syrup and juice boiled till it becomes thick helps to combat hang-overs. If you have a fever, it helps to drink sour pomegranate juice after you have eaten." 

The Azerbaijani medieval court healer Muhammed Mu'min recommended not only using the seeds but also the flowers (gulnar) of the pomegranate: "The flowers of the pomegranate are astringent, fortify the liver, the intestines and the hematosis organs. In particular, they are good for intestinal ulcers, haemorraging in all the organs and scabies. A compress made from ground pomegranate flowers heals wounds, prevents tumours from getting bigger and stops hair loss. Rinsing your mouth with a decoction of pomegranate flowers strengthens the gums and teeth, and is effective in treating mouth ulcers." In the "Tibbname" Muhammed Yusif Sirvani wrote that the dried seeds of the wild pomegranate (nardanak) can be added to dishes as a sour flavouring. They have a bile-expelling. effect and aid the digestion. Pomegranate trees can live as long as 200-300 years.

Benefits 

The pomegranate is a whole complex of vitamins and minerals. You see, the pomegranate contains all that the body needs to work properly. Pomegranate juice has been found to contain 15 amino acids, six of which are, besides in the pomegranate, only found in meat and are irreplaceable for the human body. It also contains four main vitamins - C, P, B6 and B12. Vitamin C boosts immunity, P - the blood vessels, B6 - the nervous system and B12 improves hematosis. But that is not all! Pomegranates are ideal when you have days of fasting, since 100 g of the flesh of the fruit contains 62-79 kcal and 100 ml of the juice contains 41-65 kcal. Pomegranates are also rich in such mineral substances as iodine, potassium, calcium, iron and silicon.

Pomegranate juice is recommended for people suffering from emaciation, anaemia, atherosclerosis, respiratory infections, bronchial asthma, angina and following exposure to radiation. The pomegranate contains punicalagin. This substance neutralises free radicals and boosts the anti-oxidant status. Once it enters the body, it has a beneficial effect on the heart. According to doctors, punicalagin and other anti-oxidants contained in the pomegranate, strengthen the walls of the blood vessels and lower the level of "bad" cholesterol, preventing the formation of atherosclerotic plaques.

Thanks to vitamin K, the pomegranate prevents the development of arthrosis, from which 10 per cent of the Earth's population suffers, according to the statistics. It is precisely vitamin K that plays a considerable part in the metabolism in the bones and connecting tissues and is involved in the absorption of calcium. The scientific research from a medical school in Case Western Reserve University has shown that the pomegranate slows down the deformation of the cartilage tissues that causes osteoarthritis. Pomegranate juice is rich in phytonutrients which reduce inflammation and lessen the swelling of the cartilage tissues.

Pomegranate juice prevents plaque from forming on your teeth. It does moreover have antimicrobial and anti-viral properties, cleanses the oral cavity of bacteria, as a result of which the risk of gum disease is reduced. Pomegranate juice also contains substances that block the growth of new malignant formations. According to a study published in the journal of the American Association of Cancer Research, regular consumption of pomegranate juice lowers the risk of breast cancer severalfold. Scientists are also studying the benefits of pomegranate extract in cases of prostate cancer. Thanks to the high content of anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory substances pomegranate juice slows down the growth of cancer cells and lung cancers, which helps in combating the illness more effectively.

Pomegranate boosts the immune system. One hundred grammes of pomegranate contains the recommended daily dose of vitamin C. It is considered sufficient to eat a quarter of a pomegranate to boost your immune system.

The pomegranate improves digestion. Edible fibres are elements that cannot be absorbed by the body, but help to remove from the bowel everything that has undergone the digestive process. They are considered to be the "engine" of healthy digestion.  Edible fibres are contained in cereals, as well as in some fruits, including pomegranates. You will get 16 per cent of the recommended daily portion of edible fibres if you eat just 100 g of pomegranate. Besides this, pomegranate juice stimulates the appetite and quenches thirst splendidly. Pomegranate helps scars to repair themselves. Pomegranate seed oil improves the regeneration of the cells, the epidermis, as well as speeding up the healing of wounds. Pomegranate extract does moreover repair the skin well after getting sunburnt. Pomegranate boosts the level of haemoglobin in the blood. Pomegranate juice is often prescribed  for people suffering from anaemia - half a glass three times per day to be taken half an hour before eating.

Regular consumption of pomegranate in food not only normalises your haemoglobin, but also strengthens your hair follicles. This prevents hair loss and gives your hair a healthy shine. It is good for those suffering from diabetes to eat pomegranate because it has a diuretic effect, reducing the fluid retention which is often found in diabetic patients in the early stages of the illness.

Pomegranate helps you to keep looking young. According to research in 2006, it impedes the development of Alzheimer's disease. This is due to the high content of punicalagin antioxidants, which, in their turn, lessen the inflammatory processes in the brain and slow down the development of age-related dementia. Besides this, pomegranate extract is often used in medicine as an anti-ageing supplement. It slows down the process of skin ageing, cuts down the number of wrinkles and prevents the formation of age-related pigment spots.

Splendid sorts

In Azerbaijan the pomegranate grows everywhere, including in the wild. We also cultivate such sorts of pomegranate as "Veles", "Sirin", "Guleysa", "Sihbaba" and "Sahnur". Each one has its own special flavour and colour, from which medicinal preparations are even prepared. In Azerbaijan poetry is written about the pomegranate and songs are composed about it.

Pomegranate processing factories have been commissioned in Goycay, Qabala, Ucar and Sabirabad Districts, and pomegranate collection points have been set up in the villages. In Goycay District alone pomegranate orchards cover an area of 1,700 ha and more than 30 tonnes of pomegranates are harvested annually. A pomegranate festival is held in Azerbaijan at the beginning of November every year. Pomegranate harvesting ends, and the country celebrates this event on a grand scale. Exhibitions and fairs are held, people boast about their harvests and try the different pomegranate delights such as wine, juice, preserves and so forth.

At the present time, Azerbaijan supplies pomegranates to markets both at home and abroad in the form of fresh fruits as well as processed foods.

Pomegranate juice produced in Azerbaijan is exported to Russia, the countries of the CIS [Commonwealth of Independent States] and Europe, the USA, Israel and China. The products obtained from processing pomegranates are pomegranate juice, sauce and also concentrates. Well-known among these products is narsharab sauce. It is used in Azerbaijani cuisine as a seasoning for meat dishes, as well as being served with various fish dishes. The pomegranate is a tasty and beautiful fruit. Numerous dishes can be made from it, ranging from salads to desserts.

NARSHARAB

To begin with the pomegranate should be peeled and the grains placed in a large saucepan. Place the saucepan with the pomegranate grains on the stove and begin to crush them as hard as you can with a pestle, stirring them periodically. Both the spoon and the pestle should be wooden, since the acid in the pomegranate will start to react with metal utensils. Gradually, the juice which comes out, will cover the seeds. You should stop heating the saucepan when the seeds, which have separated from the grains, start to turn white.

Then you need to drain the juice from the seeds. To do this, you need a sufficiently large sieve, which you should put over a bowl or saucepan. The grains in the sieve need to be constantly pounded and stirred. Put the sieved juice back in the saucepan, and replace on the heat, stirring from time to time to stop it from burning on the bottom. The process of boiling down the pomegranate juice needs to be continued until the liquid thickens sufficiently. During the boiling process the boiled sauce may splash; this is regarded as normal.

The readiness of the sauce can be determined by spooning it onto a plate and letting it cool. When the sauce is ready, it will have the consistency of runny soured cream. When the consistency of the sauce is sufficiently thick, turn off the heat and add salt. The preparation time is one hour. The cooking time is two hours. From 10 kg of pomegranate grains approximately 2.5-3 litres of narsharab sauce are obtained. One teaspoon of salt should be added to this quantity of sauce