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Distributed for Reaktion Books

Pomegranate

A Global History

Supple but crunchy, sweet but tart—with its strange construction of seeds filled with delicious garnet juice so vibrant it’s hard not think it is some otherworldly blood—no wonder the pomegranate has appealed so much to the human imagination throughout the centuries. Holding aloft this singular fruit in the light of human history, Damien Stone offers a unique look at an alluring fruit that has figured in our culinary consciousness from the gardens of the ancient world to the health-food section of supermarkets.  
           
Stone takes us back to the early polytheistic religions and the important role that pomegranates had in their rituals. From there he shows how they came to be held in high esteem in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam alike, examining exciting new findings that further cement their importance: for instance, many historians believe now that it was a pomegranate, not an apple, that was the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Stone examines the allure that the pomegranate has had to a fascinating cast of famous figures, from ancient Assyrian King Ashurnasirpal to Tudor Queen Anne Boleyn, from Sandro Botticelli to Salvador Dalí. Drawing on text, image, and taste, Pomegranate is a cornucopia of strange and fascinating stories about a very special fruit. 
 

176 pages | 40 color plates, 20 halftones | 5 x 7 3/4 | © 2017

Edible

Food and Gastronomy


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Reviews

"Bursting with taste, this book is a cornucopia of fascinating stories about a very special fruit. It explores how people over the centuries have used pomegranates, and looks at the timeless appeal of this unusual, alluring, and ornamental fruit."

Gardening Australia

"This delightful small book encapsulates the significance through history of the juicy, crunchy, tart, and currently oh-so-trendy pomegranate. Popular for thousands of years, they graced tables in ancient Greece, the civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Persia and the stories of Arabian folklore in A Thousand and One Nights. Superb photographs and illustrations demonstrate how these fruit were commemorated in the art of diverse cultures. Pomegranate is another in the Edible series from Reaktion Books that celebrates the rich history of cuisine. It’s perfect for food, garden, and history nerds."

Organic Gardener Magazine

"Stone’s Pomegranate is another volume in Reaktion’s popular Edible series, which details the history, culinary uses, and lore of particular foods. Most chapters in this slim history discuss the symbolic role of the pomegranate in myth, religion, and literature from the ancient to medieval world in both Europe and the Middle East. . . . The book is illustrated with images of the pomegranate in art and archaeology throughout history, which provide an excellent accompaniment to the text. Pomegranate is another quality installment in an outstanding series. Recommended."

Choice

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