History & Legend

Throughout history, this richly-colored and delicious fruit has been revered as a symbol of health, fertility, and rebirth. Some cultures also believed it held profound and mystical healing powers. Still others chose to use it in more practical ways, as a dye or decoration.

The pomegranate's irresistible appeal and legendary medicinal properties have also made it the subject of countless myths, epics and works of art, from Raphael and Cezanne to Homer and Shakespeare.

Many scholars now suggest that it was a pomegranate, not an apple, depicted in the biblical Garden of Eden; a theory that is given further support throughout ancient and medieval times. In the mythical tale of the unicorn, pomegranate seeds "bleeding" from its horn symbolized Christ. The pomegranate tree to which it was bound represented eternal life.