I've always been fascinated by pomegranates, ever since I heard the story of the Persephone in Greek mythology. She was captured by the god of the underworld, Hades, who wanted her to be his wife. When her mother, the spring goddess Demeter found her she insisted she be returned. Eventually it was agreed Persephone should stay with Hades for the same number of months she had eaten pomegranate seeds. As it happened she had only eaten six seeds - so that explained why winter lasts for six months.
The story makes even less sense when you eat a pomegranate and see how many seeds it has.
I bought two from Sainsbury's last week. They were much larger than normally sold in Britain and when I sliced one it bled, blood red. I ate half and that was probably too much.
It is the only red fruit I am allowed and I would like to find a cheap and easy source of pure pomegranate juice. If you see it in the supermarkets, it tends to be mixed with something else.
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11 comments:
An update: I've given up pomegranates. They are too messy to eat, you end up eating the pulp and I'm not sure that's salicylate free.
Last night a friend served us a green salad sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. Within a half-hour of my eating some of the seeds I began to break out in mouth sores. Two hours later the sores had spread to my lower lip, my tongue, and my gums. (I have eaten pomegranate seeds before, but not often, and not more than a few times in the last ten years; I am now almost 70.)
About five years ago I developed an allergy to mango, which produced blistering sores on my lips. My son, strangely, also has a mango allergy that began in his early twenties.
I have had similar but milder reactions to fresh pineapple, when I eat more than a typical portion.
The reaction last night was more severe than any reaction I've ever had to mango or pineapple. I know of nothing else in last night's dinner that might have caused such a quick allergic reaction.
Before bedtime, I took two benedryl pills. This morning the sores have diminished significantly and are less bothersome.
Searching online, I have so far found only one reported case of pomegranate allergy, which dates to 1991, and one mention in another site warning of vague reports of possible allergic reactions.
Can anyone throw any light on this? (Please answer to my email: HSmusic@verizon.net.) Thanks.
My daughter is 4. I believe she has an allergy to the pomegranate seed. We were eating them on Thanksgiving this year and she had a severe reaction, her whole face swelled, coughing and hard time breathing. We are having allergy tests done soon.
Add me to the list of allergic! I am 41 and have always been allergic to pomegranates...severe facial and tongue swelling with restricted throat etc. Something else to consider/avoid is grenadine which is in many mixed cocktails. And nowadays with pomegranate juice being in a lot of beverages,it pays to read the label!!!
Good luck!
I'm allergic to pomegranates and think it's the weirdest allergy to have. May I ask everyone's backgrounds? I'm Irish/Italian/English/German.
Oh, and I wonder if the mango allergy has to do with the mango being in the poison ivy family...
I found I was allergic to pomegranates after chugging a whole bottle of pomegranate soda. I broke out in hives ALL over, even on the soles of my feet and palms of my hands. This was when they weren't so popular, so it was easy to avoid, but now that isn't the case. I'm also allergic to acerola, which are very distantly related to pomegranates.
You can add me to the list too. I made a smoothie this morning and put some newly purchased pomegranate juice in it. 30 minutes later I was covered with a fine rash from my scalp to my ankles.
My daughter has several anaphylactic allergies, peanuts, treenuts, eggs, peas, beansprouts. My son has never suffered from allergies, but upon eating a new pomegranate applesauce today he had the worst reaction I've ever witnessed. Thank God his sisters epipen was at hand!
Harvey, That's so weird, I'm allergic to pomegranate and mango too. Real ripe pinapple makes my throat itchy, but it's not too bad. This is it though, no other food allergies (maybe a little to melons, about as mild as pinapple though.) Maybe these three things have something in common.
I just ate a couple handfuls of pomegranate seeds about half an hour ago. Immediately made my tongue feel numb, after I tried to get up I felt very lightheaded and my breathing felt heavier than normal. My tongue started to hurt and swell even though there weren't any physical sores. My first reaction was to take some Benadryl just in case, then I researched the symptoms. Glad my instinct was right.
If I eat too much pineapple my throat and tongue starts to itch and hurt, but pomegranates are definitely scarier. Mangoes never bothered me though, I can eat a whole one and nothing.
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