Because of the many seeds found in pomegranate fruits, they were regarded as a symbol of fertility by the ancient cultures of Egypt, Greece, and Rome. The Greek writer, Homer, wrote about pomegranates growing at Syracuse, on the island of Sicily. The Bible of the Hebrews records many references to the pomegranate, and the image of the fruit was used extensively in molding and stone sculptures found in Solomons temple at Jerusalem, Israel.
Pomegranates, Punica granatum, are native shrubs and trees found growing throughout much of the Middle East, and much of Europe. The pomegranates appear to be the dominant landscape trees growing along roadsides of Albania, Montenegro, Bulgaria, and many parts of Turkey. The pomegranate trees appeared in Spain around 800AD by the Moors. Granada, Spain, on the coast of the Mediterranean, got its name from the Latin name of the pomegranate, Punica granatum. The French named the new explosive weapon, hand grenade, after the Latinized Punica granatum, pomegranate, because the impact from the explosion of the weapon scattered the numerous small pieces of metal like the many seeds of the pomegranate fruit.
Cultivated extensively in...