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Since I was a young girl, the pomegranate has been my favorite fruit.  The slow process of cracking open the tough outer skin and removing the ruby seeds a few at a time always seemed magical.  That the fruit played a role in the Greek origin myth about the seasons only added to its mystique.  As the story goes, lovely Persephone, daughter of the goddess of nature Demeter, is stolen away by Hades, the god of the Underworld, to be his bride.  Her devastated mother lets the earth turn brown in her grief over losing her beloved daughter. Crops die, famine ensues and finally Zeus steps in to force Hades to return Persephone.  Unfortunately, before she returns, Hades tricks Persephone into eating the food of the dead, just a few pomegranate seeds, which forces her to return to the Underworld for a few months each year, winter, during which Demeter lets everything grow cold.

In Thailand, I’ve seen a few pomegranates around.  Pale yellow with pink mottling on the exterior, they’ve never looked ripe compared to their bright red counterparts that I’ve had back in the States.  In fact, I hadn’t tried one until today when curiosity brought me around.  Indeed they don’t taste as sticky-sweet like the pomegranates back home either, these pomegranates are light and sweet, but by no means unripe.  Simple and refreshing, I’m sure Persephone wouldn’t be able to resist these either.