Description
Anardana is more commonly known as pomegranate. The pomegranate is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub or small tree that has an average height of five to eight metres. It has a rounded hexagonal shape, and has thick reddish skin. Each of the Anardana fruits bears seeds ranging from 329 to more than 1000. The seeds and surrounding pulp of the tree range in colour from white to deep red, and they are called arils. The seeds and pulp are edible. The seeds are separated from the flesh, dried for 10-15 days to get Anardana. The Pomegranate seed is versatile and now the fruit is no more confined to only being eaten raw or in the juice form. Pomegranates are listed as high-fiber in charts of nutritional value. That fiber, as well as the unsaturated fat they offer, is entirely contained in the seeds. People who choose to discard the seeds forfeit nutritional benefits conveyed by the seed fiber, fat and micronutrients.
The Anardana or pomegranate is used as an ingredient in preparing various Indian foods. The fruit is used in India to sour chutneys and also in preparing pastries and breads. The entire seed of the fruit is consumed raw, though the watery, tasty aril is the desired part. It is used to sprinkle over salads or vegetable dishes or over fruit salad and as an acidic agent for chutney and curry production. It is also sprinkled over pan fried shrimp or grilled meats for enhancing the taste of meats and seafood. Anardana adds a delicate but rustic sour taste to meats. The fruit is often used to garnish dishes like hummus, salads and tahini. The dried seeds add to quality when used as part of garnish. Pomegranate seed can be used in any lentil preparation, vegetable turn out or even rice, as seasoning.
The fresh fruit is dried and preserved and then used to address a variety of illnesses. Pomegranate seed or anardana is believed to be a tried and tested remedy for a number of liver complaints. The spice is also being used to address anemia and the set backs of rheumatism. The home remedies that spring from the kitchen garden include the use of pomegranate seed or anardana to cure nausea and fever and numerous eye diseases. The daily dose of pomegranate seed is also believed to reduce and finally cure insomnia. The rind of the fruit and the bark of the pomegranate tree is used as a traditional remedy against diarrhea, dysentery and intestinal parasites. The seeds and juice are considered a tonic for the heart and throat, and classified as a bitter-astringent (pitta or fire) component under the Ayurvedic system, and considered a healthful counterbalance to a diet high in sweet-fatty (kapha or earth) components. The astringent qualities of the flower juice, rind and tree bark are considered valuable for a variety of purposes, such as stopping nose bleeds and gum bleeds, toning skin, (after blending with mustard oil) firming-up sagging breasts and treating hemorrhoids. Pomegranate juice (of specific fruit strains) is also used as eye drops as it is believed to slow the development of cataracts
