The sexiest form of pomegranate

I have a lot of the same problems as other people: how on earth I’m going to pay my car payment this month, which cheese to buy at the colossal Whole Foods cheese counter, how to make my love handles less prominent in my favorite pair of jeans that have suddenly gotten tighter, how to spend yet another valentine-less Valentine’s day…but I also have problems that I find to be exclusive to me, mostly because of my strangeness. Today, it was how to use up the last of the pomegranate molasses left in the bottle.

What IS pomegranate molasses, you ask?

Ha. Haha. Oh, my dear, unfortunate, non-Arab reader. I suggest you get some and find out for yourself, because try as I may to describe it, this lovely tart, pommy lovesyrup is something that must be tasted.

I was born and raised in Syria, where pomegranate molasses is used in quite a few dishes, such as fatayer (mini savory pies filled with either spinach or meat), bamye o riz (okra in tomato sauce served over rice), and other various exotic sounding items. I will tell you that it adds a really nice earthy tartness to a dish, a flavor that’s pretty much uniquely pomegranate. But I’ve always preferred my dibis rimaan (that’s pom molasses in Arabic) dribbled straight from the bottle onto my finger, into my mouth, or, my absolute favorite, into a little Turkish coffee cup and sprinkled with salt then eaten slowly with a tiny little silver spoon. I savored every little taste of that dibis.

Now that you’re informed, you can (maybe) imagine my frustration at having a good inch of syrup left at the bottom of the bottle, but knowing that even if I poured it out, there would still be some left inside and I would have to throw it away and I simply can’t bear to because that is precious childhood nostalgia in deep mahogany syrup form. So tonight, I decided to pour some water right into the bottle, shake it until it was all incorporated and delightfully frothy, sprinkle some salt in (a necessary addition), and drink it!

I’m in concentrated pomegranate heaven. I would post a picture of it, but it’s practically all gone.

So instead, here are some facts about the wonderful pomegranate!

-A glass of pomegranate juice has more antioxidants than red wine, cranberries, blueberries, and green tea.

-pomegranates contain phytochemicals that stimulate serotonin receptors, which supposedly means it improves symptoms of depression! Or it just makes you happy J

-Many scholars believe that the forbidden fruit that Eve indulged in was a pomegranate, not an apple.

If you want to find pomegranate molasses, I’d suggest going to your local Middle Eastern market or store. Sometimes supermarkets have it, but it’s usually overpriced.

I will post a recipe using pomegranate molasses soon!

Fruitfully yours ,

Celina.