For many centuries, Jews have partaken of pomegranate seeds on Rosh Hashanah night, as one of the significant omens. “May our merits increase like the seeds of the pomegranate,” we say prior to enjoying the tart, crimson-colored seeds. (Just watch those white shirts and tablecloths – have you ever tried to get out a stain from pomegranate juice?)
The question on everyone’s mind, of course, is, are there really 613 seeds in a pomegranate? It’s an intriguing folkloric notion, which stems perhaps from the well-known Talmudic statement that “even the empty ones among the Jews are full of mitzvos like a pomegranate is full of seeds.” But it is definitely a myth, according to Rabbi Ari Zivotofsky, a brain scientist at Bar-Ilan University who wrote an article on the topic for www.ou.org. He says, “It is clear that Chazal (our Rabbis) never stated that a pomegranate has 613 seeds but merely used the pomegranate as a symbol of abundance.”
At the same time, he does provide fascinating food for thought by linking to an experiment done by Alexander Haubold, a computer scientist with a Ph.D. from Columbia University. Apparently, Haubold took a sampling of 206 pomegranates from five countries – the U.S., Singapore, Iran, Spain, and Turkey – and counted the seeds in each. No, there weren’t 613 in each, but guess what the average number of seeds turned out to be? Amazingly, 613! (I wonder what the outcome would have been if Haubold had tested only pomegranates from Israel!)
Zivotofsky notes that when he spoke with Haubold in 2008, the scientist said he had since counted several hundred additional pomegranates, and that the average number of seeds would likely change. But I just visited Haubold’s website this summer (aquaphoenix.com/misc/pomegranate), and he hadn’t updated the chart summarizing his original experiment. Who knows – maybe he figured it was best to leave well enough alone, and garner for himself a bit of fame in the Jewish world.
Zivotofsky writes that it was probably the pomegranate’s beauty, and not its dietary importance, that earned it a place among the seven fruits of Eretz Yisrael named in the Torah. Shir HaShirim even mentions it as a symbol of beauty. That may be so, but Rabbi Gil Marks, author of the Encyclopedia of Jewish Food, does note that since ancient times, the pomegranate was eaten fresh, used to make juice, or dried. He says that while the fruit was largely foreign to Ashkenazim, it was “extremely important to Sephardic culture from the onset.” He cites how the invading Moors found a Jewish community on a hillside in southern Spain in the year 711 and named it Gharnata al Yahud, or Pomegranates of the Jews. The town later became known as Grenada.
Marks offers many examples of the fruit’s significance in Jewish lore and literature. Probably due to its delicate and distinctive crown, its likeness was featured as a decorative adornment on the robe of the Kohen Gadol, on the pillars of the Temple, on the coins of ancient Israel, and in many other Jewish religious and cultural settings.
The pomegranate could surely be valued for its sweet, invigorating taste and delicate beauty alone, but it also happens to be a nutritional powerhouse. Appropriately, much of the research on this majestic ruby red fruit was done right in the Holy Land.
In one notable study, researchers at the Technion in Haifa, led by Professor Michael Aviram, found that “pomegranate juice contains the highest antioxidant capacity compared to other juices, red wine, and green tea.” Their study suggested that long-term consumption of pomegranate juice may help protect against heart disease and cancer.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the “pond,” as the British are fond of saying, in a study published in the American Journal of the College of Cardiologists, 45 patients with ischemic heart disease – blocked arteries – were given eight ounces of pomegranate juice daily for three months. When compared to a placebo group, the juiced-up group experienced significantly less oxygen deficiency to the heart during exercise, meaning the pomegranate had a marked effect on blood flow in these patients.
What exactly gives the pomegranate its heart-protective qualities? Experts believe that compounds in the juice reverse LDL oxidation, the process whereby cholesterol is deposited in arterial walls. In addition, the juice cuts inflammation, which slows hardening of the arteries. Finally, pomegranate raises the levels of nitric oxide in the blood, which helps keep arteries supple and clear. Aging and stress can impair the body’s ability to manufacture this chemical.
It’s also worth noting pomegranate’s benefits for the skin. A compound in pomegranate and other berries called ellagic acid has been shown to protect skin from the damaging effects of the sun, such as wrinkles and skin cancer. Korean researchers have shown that ellagic acid may help prevent the breakdown of collagen, a major protein found in skin that keeps skin supple and young looking.
Given the information above, you’ll probably agree that it’s worth adding pomegranate to your diet more often than just on Rosh Hashanah. I should point out that many recipes take advantage of pomegranate seeds – which technically should be called “arils” – for their colorful aesthetic effect. Certainly, the seeds can play a starring role in many visually pleasing and tasty appetizers, side dishes, main courses, and desserts. At the same time, those looking for a simpler way to incorporate pomegranate into the diet may want to focus on using only the juice, which nowadays is readily available, in several kosher brands. I have taken that approach with the two recipes below.
ANTIOXIDANT-RICH SMOOTHIE
This recipe was inspired by one I found on dr.fuhrman.com website
8 c. organic baby spinach or 1 – 2 tsp.
green food powder such as spirulina or wheat grass
1 c. pomegranate juice (Pom Wonderful and Dynamic Health are two easy-tofind brands)
1 c. blueberries, frozen
1 c. strawberries, frozen
8 dates, cut in half
2 T. ground flaxseeds
1⁄2 avocado
Blend all ingredients together and enjoy
PURPLE POMEGRANATE PUDDING
This visually appealing pudding was modified from webmd.com.
3 T. minute tapioca
2 T. natural sugar
1⁄2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 c. pomegranate juice
1 3/4 c. milk (dairy or non-dairy)
1 egg, beaten
1 – 2 packets of stevia or to taste
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Combine tapioca, sugar, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan. Stir in pomegranate juice, milk, and egg. Let stand 5 minutes. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a full boil. (It will thicken as it cools.) Remove from heat. Stir in stevia to taste and vanilla extract. Cool 20 – 30 minutes. Stir and spoon into 4 serving cups. Serve warm or chilled.â—†
Lauren Mirkin, CNS, LDN, LGPC, is a licensed nutritionist and counselor. She provides nutritional counseling at the Johns Hopkins Integrative Medicine and Digestive Center at Green Spring Station. Contact her at 443-326-7023 or holisticnutritionhelp@gmail.com. Lauren thanks her son Yehoshua, a student at Yeshiva University, for assisting with the research for this article.
