The Pomegranate known in botany as Punica granatum, belongs to the Punicaceae family. The term pomegranate comes from the Latin "malum" e "granatum". Literally means "apple with grains"In fact, its shape resembles that of an apple.
Mistakenly, we are used to referring to the fruit as pomegranate, but the Accademia della Crusca refers to the plant. If we want to refer to the fruit instead, we have to refer to it as pomegranate. In southern Italy there are some variants of the term: granati (in Sicily), granatara (in Calabria) and sita (in Salento).
The pomegranate, an autumn fruit, now grows in areas where the climate remains mild. It is a large, round berry with a leathery skin that is coloured red, red-orange or yellow-orange. The fruit inside contains about 600 seeds. These seeds are called arilli sweet and fragrant, wrapped in a pulp whose colour fades from red to white.
There are different varieties of pomegranate: from sugary to sweet-sour to sour. In Italy, they are the first to be preferred.
Pomegranate: History and Culture in Ancient Times
The history of the pomegranate dates back 5000 years to Persia. In contrast to today, the first cultivations were considered 'spontaneous vegetation', the conditions necessary for the growth of this fruit were found in rocky locations. The plant arrived in Europe thanks to the Phoenicians.
Myths and legends are linked to the pomegranate. What they have in common is their symbolism: since antiquity, the fruit has been a symbol of fertility, abundance and good omen. The fruit is often associated with different deities, with Aphrodite by the Greeks, Venus by the Romans and the Christian Madonna from the Middle Ages onwards. It is also linked to the concept of the dualism of life and death and some speculate that it may be a sign of renewal and regeneration.
In Magna Graecia, pomegranate was used both as a medicine and as a tincture. In addition, the powder of the arils was added to red wines at banquets.
The myth tells that Hades, king of the Underworld, unable to find a goddess willing to marry him, decided to kidnap the goddess Persephone. The latter, struck by despair, turned to Zeus. But even the king of the gods was unable to save the maiden from the underworld because she had eaten pomegranate seeds. The maiden was unaware that whoever eats them will be bound for ever to the realm of the dead.
Zeus cunningly found a compromise with Hades. The beautiful Persephone would remain only six months of the year in the underworld, during autumn and winter. The remaining six months she would remain on Earth, thanks to the fact that she had eaten only six grains of the fruit.
This legend wants us to grasp the passage from the earthly to the afterlife.
In ancient Rome, Venus is said to have planted a pomegranate tree in her garden, making it a symbol of fertility. From then on, brides were supposed to weave flowers and leaves of this plant into their hair to symbolise wealth, fertility and marital bonding.
In Jewish culture, the pomegranate symbolises honesty and fairness. It is supposed to contain about 613 seeds inside it, equal to the number of commandments in the Torah. Some theologians assume that the fruit of the tree of life in the Garden of Eden was this and not the apple.
In Egypt, it was the 'medical' fruit, a symbol of fertility. There are depictions of pomegranates in the tombs of pharaohs and some dried fruits have been found in the burial chambers of Ramses IV (1149 BC).
Many of the symbolic meanings attributed over the centuries still persist today in many countries around the world.
The pomegranate has been and continues to be a recurring motif in Christian religious decorations. We find various depictions in the paintings of Sandro Botticelli and Leonardo da Vinci.
The Granada of the Moors has the pomegranate as its symbol and gave its name to the city of Granada in Spain.
Pomegranate: History and Culture in Literature
Literature also refers to this fruit. In Song of Songs we find the plant and the fruit, symbols of fruitful love and understanding between the beloved and the beloved:
[...Even in the garden, the place of love, pomegranates bloom, the groom looking for his bride goes to see if the shoots have sprung up in the garden...]
Shakespeare chose the foliage of a pomegranate for Romeo's serenade to Juliet.
Gabriele D'Annunzio recites:
[...A smile so fresh and vermilion that it brings to mind the opening of a pomegranate fruit...]
Giovanni Pascoli refers to the pomegranate in the poem 'Homeland".
To conclude, one only has to quote "Ancient Weeping"the poignant poem by Giosuè Carducci, dedicated to his son:
[The tree to which you stretched out your little hand, the green pomegranate with beautiful vermilion blossoms...]
