Punica Granatum
March 13, 2009 § Leave a comment
My little shrine of pomegranate food items.
I have unofficially undertaken the task of consuming and reviewing every pomegranate-flavored food item I come across.
At Target a few weekends ago, Roomie #1 and I were flitting around in the snack aisles when I saw the sign for the section titled “Good For You.” Laughing, I went over to investigate, and was delighted to discover Archer Farms Organic Pomegranate Fruit Strips. I have been a fan of the health benefits of fruit leathers since being introduced to them by my badminton coach, especially when compared to the high-fructose corn syrup content of Fruit Roll-Ups, which do not come in the trendy pomegranate flavor.
Unfortunately, pomegranate was the third ingredient on the list, after apple and pear juice, so the fruit strip just had a general fruit flavor with only a hint of the dry tanginess of actual pomegranates.
Roomie #1 had offered me a packet of Crystal Light Pomegranate Lemonade; although I did not enjoy the Crystal Light Pink Lemonade she had given me previously, I tried it anyway. How could I resist the pomegranate? Sadly, it was rather similar to the Pink Lemonade – although the color was vibrant and there was maybe a hint of pomegranate flavor, the artificial sugar taste stood out to me the most. I really detest that stuff. Once again, a disappointment on the pomegranate front. When will pomegranates be genuinely represented??
My next quarry was Yoplait Blackberry Pomegranate yogurt. My two favorite fruits together?! Really??? WANT. I was ecstatic to find them at Hy-Vee over the weekend, and quickly snatched up a couple [I also tried Banana C
reme, which was DELICIOUS.] Upon first taste, my tongue sensed a hint of pomegranate, but it was very faint. This didn’t come as a surprise after I discovered that “pomegranate juice concentrate” was the 7th ingredient, after sugar and high fructose corn syrup, among other things. I wonder if it’s really necessary to put the corn syrup in things that are supposed to be “natural”, like yogurt. Would it really taste terrible without it, or does it enhance the texture?
Anyhow, the yogurt tasted good, but the two flavors were not distinct enough to prompt me to want more. I’ll cross my fingers for a pomegranate-only flavored yogurt in the future…although pomegranate frozen yogurt was kind of a disappointment too.
Although not pomegranate-related, I also tried another new fruit recently: the Pink Lady variety of apple.
Apples have always been a conundrum. I want to try different kinds of apples, but it’s not always clear which ones will be nice and crispy. Sometimes an apple feels firm on the outside, but turns out to be intolerably mealy on the inside. For this reason, I’ve stuck to buying only Granny Smith apples, since they seem to be the most reliable in that aspect.
At Hy-Vee, though, I was faced with a multitude of apples not usually seen at Wal-Mart, and I my curiosity was piqued. I came upon the bins of Pink Lady apples and was delighted by their lovely color. They actually do look rather pink! I squeezed one and it felt solid, so I bought it.
It was wonderful. Not only was my purchase pleasing to look at, the apple was significantly sweeter than Granny Smith apples, which are usually tart. The Pink Lady crunched satisfyingly between my teeth, and my expectant taste buds experienced the rapture of natural fructose as the juices were released. Delicious. I recommend this fruit to everybody. It will stop babies from crying and prevent toxic waste from being dumped into rivers and lakes. Thank you, Australia.
auradis 
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