Thursday 12 August 2010

Anardana / Pomegranate Seeds


  • Anardana is the dried seeds of varieties of pomegranate (Punica granatum). These are tangy and sour in taste.
  • Wild pomegranates are usually used as they are too sour to eat fresh out of hand, and the tree can be grown with almost no cultivation maintenance.
  • Most seeds are dark red but some can be pinkish white.
  • The seeds and the pulp adhering to them are used to make the spice.
    The seeds and the pulp dry together in reddish brown, sticky, clumps. Because of the stickiness and brown color it is sometimes called "pomegranate molasses."
    Though used mostly for vegetables and legumes, anardana also flavors Moghul-style meat dishes.
  • Grenadine, reduced pomegranate juice, is used in India to marinate meat, acting as a tenderizer because of the enzymes it contains.
  • Its tangy, sour taste is added to curries, chutneys and dals. This powder can also be used in tangy lamb and chicken dishes. Pomegranate eases flatulence and heartburn.

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