You Call It Pomegranate, We Call It Nar

It is estimated that the pomegranate was introduced to our culture about 5000 years ago. Its nutritional, therapeutic and ornamental values, however, have been known to humans since antiquity.¹

In the second part of our collaboration with Hasat, we are taking pomegranates as a starting point to explore the connection between food and arts - in Turkey and beyond.⁠

‘A Fruitful Explosive' by studio halbuki

Records of pomegranate tree cultivation date back to Ancient Sumerians, indicating that pomegranates originated in Central Asia, specifically in the Anatolian peninsula and modern-day Iran.² Unsurprisingly, the presence of the crop is strongly tied to the identity of Central Asian cultures and plays a vital role in Persian and Greek mythology, Buddhism, and Abrahamic religions, which are all strongly associated with the region.

Madonna of the Pomegranate,
Botticelli, 1478

This sturdy and resistant plant grows in traditionally unfavourable conditions, blossoming across Eurasia, Northern Africa, ultimately spreading across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas.¹

In its lifetime, Ottoman Empire dominated parts of Central Asia and the Middle East, both of which are regions where the pomegranate natively grows. Consequently, the empire inherited and contributed to the importance of the pomegranate in medicine, food, and art.¹

Detail of pomegranates on a miniature
by Nanha & Bishndas of the Mughal Empire, 1590

The Ottoman Palace kitchens were successfully secretive about their recipes. Despite this, records of shopping lists, banquet descriptions, paintings, medical books and poetry give us a solid idea of food consumed during the six centuries of Ottoman rule. For instance, we know that pomegranates feature in and outside of the kitchen; its seeds used for cooking while its leaves, bark, and pith reserved for medicinal remedies.³

We see records from 1539 detail an almond soup brightened by vivid pomegranate seeds, and a century later, pomegranates are still favoured on plates, this time in syrup form, adding zest to a liver dish.

The fruit itself can be a little tricky to get to, similarly to the star of our previous chapter: artichokes. So for those of you who love the taste but not the hassle, watch the video below for a trick to give you easy access.

It may or may not be directly linked to the hassle of opening the fruit, but the idea of boiling pomegranates down to a syrup - similar to balsamic vinegar reduction - is still the most popular form of its consumption in Turkish cuisine.

The culinary use of this syrup, otherwise known as pomegranate molasses, today provides a sweet and sour flavour to the dishes of Israel, Palestine, Iran, Armenia, and other Central Asian and Middle Eastern countries.

Detail of pomegranates on the oldest dated carpet ‘Ardabil Carpet’, made in Iran, 1539 - Courtesy of V&A

Of course, fruits are not only a tasteful food source with health benefits, but also an indispensable part of socio-cultural life.

Its perceived meaning aside for a moment, the pomegranate, in its physical form, features on many architectural works, as well as on handcrafts, spanning an unusually vast variety of mediums.
More importantly, the pomegranate is one of the few foods that is threaded through many different cultures on Earth, which -above anything else- makes it a connection, a common ground.

With regards to the ‘why’ question, research shows that the motifs are not simply there to reflect the image of the pomegranate plant, but also in symbolic contexts of protection, immortality, fertility and abundance.⁴

Uyghur wall painting from 7th century, depicting a Buddhist god holding a pomegranate

Known to Turks since ancient times, the pomegranate appears, for the first time in Turkic culture as a motif, in the hand of a Buddhist god, depicted by Uyghur Turks in the 7th century.

During this period and preceding Shamanic periods, the red fruit is known to symbolise prosperity, abundance and fertility⁴, in specific reference to its resilient growing conditions and its surprising appearance as one whole fruit housing many edible parts.

13th C. Gok Medrese (Islamic Educational Inst.) in Sivas, Turkey - built by Rum Seljuk Sultanate

Detail of the 13th century Islamic building in Sivas, Turkey, featuring ‘tree of life’ with pomegranates

After the Turks adopted Islam as their main religion, the pomegranate, preserves the same stylistic and symbolic features, but gains additional meanings by being interpreted in accordance with the new belief system.⁴

The characteristics of the pomegranate plant, losing productivity in parts of the year, regaining it in other parts and potentially growing new life from its many seeds, is seen in the religious framework as a symbol of birth, reproduction, death and resurrection. The fact that the pomegranate fruit is directly mentioned in the Qur'an, as well as in the Torah and the Bible, has also given it sacred implications.

Oded Halahmy, Forthright Love, 2015 - BronxMuseumoftheArts

Minna Keene, 1910 - Stephen Bulger Gallery

The many ideas and values associated with this remarkable fruit over millennia, continues to trickle down from the minds of our ancestors into the hands of present-day artists, in Turkey and beyond.

Today, the symbolic meaning behind many plants may be lost on humans as the practice of overt symbolism goes out of fashion. But the pomegranate is rare, in that it’s still undeniably symbolic. Especially when used within the arts, it often refers to one or more of its prescribed meanings, determined by the artist's perspective and/or belief system.

Sergei Paradjanov’s 1969 film The Color of Pomegranates - A metaphorical biography of the 18th-century Georgian born Armenian poet Sayat Nova

When we look back on our history as a species, we see that plants have been, not only a source of health and healing, but also a source of endless inspiration.

Amongst the many plants artistically interpreted by humans, the resilient, flavoursome plant pomegranate and its jewel-like interior holds a special place amongst chefs and artists alike, whether they’re creating exquisite meals or artworks in the form of textiles, jewellery, pottery or even paintings.

To take a piece of this history home with you, browse below.

[1]www.researchgate.net/publication/283514767_Origin_History_and_Domestication_of_Pomegranate
[2] http://web.deu.edu.tr/geomed2010/2007/Ozcan-Unaldi.pdf
[3] Bountiful Empire: A History of Ottoman Cuisine by Priscilla Mary Isin, 2018
[4] www.researchgate.net/publication/283514767_Origin_History_and_Domestication_of_Pomegranate
/ Photo credits in captions where possible.