what you should know 

During winter's long store ofdark and earthy flavors, thepomegranate delivers little bright bursts of light.

To open a pomegranate, find a hexagonal rib and split open the fruit through its tough outer skin. You're met with scores of edible red seeds, each enclosed in a sac of sweet-tart juice.

underwater Teasing out the good parts of a pomegranate takes some doing (and the juice inside stains bad), but once you know the bowl-full-of-water trick, you'll be fine.

it's old An ancient fruit, the pomegranate gets its name from the Greek pomum ("apple") and granatus ("seeded"). Through the ages, it's been festooned with meaning: there'sPersephone, of course. The fruit pops up frequently in the Old Testament and the Koran, and it's one of the three blessed fruits in Buddhism. Shakespeare made good use of it, and painters from Botticelli to Cezanne have realized its metaphorical value.

pom pom Because of the widely reported health benefits of the fruit, the pomegranate is surging in popularity. Most of this country's pomegranates are grown by Lynda Resnick, the billionaire "pomegranate princess". 

what you need

Pomegranates originated in Persia and stretched out in all directions from there. In her beautiful and expansive cookbookArabesque, Claudia Roden explores the cuisines of three pomegranate-laden lands: Morocco, Turkey and Lebanon. Buy this book!

In the northern hemisphere, the pomegranate season runs from September until January. (We're at the tail end now.) In March, the southern hemisphere starts harvesting its pomegranates, which are available generally until May.

If you're craving pomegranate but the fruit's not in season, get your fix with pomegranate molasses or pomegranate jelly. If you strike out at the grocery chains, try your local Middle Eastern market. 

what you do

With its intensely sweet and tart tastes, pomegranate is a natural fruit to use for chutneys. Try this pomegranate- ginger version.

The twin flavors of pomegranate seeds and pomegranate molasses infuse this eggplant with tahini yogurt.

Offset bitter dandelion greens with a richpomegranate vinaigrette.

Flavored with a fruity and aromatic marinade, thesepomegranate-glazed pork ribs come out of the oven tender but with a bright, complex crust.

Named for a famous ballerina, the pavlova is a dessert best known Down Under. Ours is made with pomegranate and a handful of winter fruits.

Featured recipe: Spatchcock much? (Don't worry -- it's easy.) Once you get the hang of it, try this pomegranate-glazed spatchcocked chicken.