Pomegranate

A fruit-bearing shrub or small tree (Punica granatum) native to a region spanning modern Iran and the Himalayan foothills of northern India, cultivated for millennia across the Middle East, the Mediterranean and South Asia and carrying deep symbolic significance across many of the region's ancient cultures. Its tough, leathery rind encloses hundreds of juicy seed-covered arils, which are eaten fresh, pressed into juice or reduced into molasses used widely in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking. Iran, India, Turkey and other countries along its historic range remain leading producers, and commercial cultivation has expanded more recently into the United States, particularly California, and other suitable dry, temperate climates.