Mongo's Mongologues 5: Halloween Special - Wamagranates & Pomegranates

Mis Queridos FPT readers, today is Halloween. Trick or treat!

Today, IaM brings to you an extremely, extremely rare fruit. The first picture above is the by-product of genetic engineering by the University of California, Davis. US Davis has one of the best Agriculture Schools in the world. The first picture propounds, for the first time in public, a Wamagranate. Through the use of genetic engineering, UC Davis has crossed a watermelon with a pomegranate. The geneticist, who is a friend of mine, tells me that a Wamagranate is about nine-tenths watermelon, and one-tenth pomegranate. And, dear FPT readers, I have to tell you, it is one delicious treat. Adding the genes of the pomegranate to the watermelon gives this rare treat a spicy, delectible flavor.

Many of our readers who reside within the United States and Western Asia will recognize the fruit in the second photograph. Of course! It's a pomegranate. For our readers who reside in the south-western Pacific islands, and east asia, who may have never seen a pomegranate, we use them here as a halloween decoration. This is done because pomegranates come into season shortly before halloween. Their season usually ends before Christmas. Pomegranates can be messy to eat, and for this reason, many of our readers may have never tasted this classic halloween fruit.

As an aside, this fruit contains massive quantities of vitamin C and polyphenols (anti-oxidants such as flavonoids). There are many techniques to eating a pomegranate. Whatever the case, one begins by cutting the crown off the top of the pomegranate, about a half an inch down from the crown. If one reviews the photographs, one notes that the pomegranate grows in sections. Separate these sections with a sharp knife. The last photograph shows this result.

There are varying ways to obtain the delicious, juice-filled afils (seed sacks). Some involve putting the sections in water. This is really not necessary. Once sectioned, simply remove the juicy afils from their fibrous surroundings. They may be powered by themselves, or added to myriad dishes, including salads.

Okay, where's my treat?