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Pomegranate Seeds in Dried Form (a.k.a. anardana)

Fresh pomegranate seeds can either be dried under the hot sun or in a dehydrator to make anardana, or dried pomegranate seeds. It has a strong tartness and only a little sweetness of fresh pomegranates. The dried seeds are sometimes ground into a fine pomegranate powder. It is a common spice which is used traditionally in Indian and Middle Eastern cooking, usually added to dishes such as stews, chutneys, tagines, spice rubs, and also breads.

Dried pomegranate seeds can be bought at specialty retail grocery store such as Trader Joe's. These seeds are rich in fiber and contain lots of the nutrition and antioxidants. It can be eaten straight-up as a snack but you may don’t like to munch these seeds. If so, a great idea is to add them to any salad or oatmeal, or as topping for plain yogurt.

Now, there are dark chocolate covered pomegranate seeds available for sale. These chocolate coated seeds are a huge improvement compared to the plain dried pomegranate seeds. The rich dark chocolate flavor matches nicely with the dried pomegranate flavor, and the crunchiness of the seeds is another compliment. This great and innovative product is a good snack. It is also great to be used to add flavor and texture to bakeries or as topping over ice cream. While enjoying the delicious snack, you can have the benefits of both sources of antioxidants.

You can also make dried pomegranate seeds and pomegranate powder at home with the help of an oven. Below are a few simple steps:

• Switch oven to 120^oF/50^oC (or the lowest setting).
• Put fresh pomegranate seeds on the baking tray and place the tray on the center rack.
• Let the seeds drying out in the oven for about 5 to 8 hours, turning them every hour. The dried pomegranate seeds are ready when it feels like leather when touching.
• Before grinding the seeds into powder, let them cool down thoroughly for 12 hours.
• Use an electric grinder to grind the dried seeds into fine pomegranate powder.
• Keep the fresh pomegranate powder in a glass jar and store in a cool and dark place.

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This page was last edited onSunday February 26, 2012