Rumman hamudh is an unconventional treat for Europeans, widespread especially in the Middle East, primarily in Iraq and Iran, where its popularity is immense. The name literally translates to “sour pomegranate”; it consists of juicy pomegranate seeds sprinkled with salt.
This combination creates an interesting flavor, where the food cannot be clearly categorized as a sweet dessert or a savory treat.
The original homeland of the pomegranate (Punica granatum) is the region comprising modern-day Iran and Northern India, from where this crop spread throughout the Mediterranean. Consuming rumman hamudh with salt has deep roots in Persian and Mesopotamian culture. While in Europe we perceive the pomegranate as an exotic fruit intended for sweet salads or desserts, in countries like Iraq and Iran, its role is much more complex. Local markets offer a clear division of varieties into sweet, sweet-and-sour, and distinctly sour.
We Europeans are used to pomegranates imported to supermarkets, which are often picked before ripening, are bland, and only slightly sweet. The local variety designated as “sour” paradoxically often contains a higher sugar content than the common “sweet” pomegranate available in European stores. The resulting taste is therefore very intense.
For the unprepared European (including myself), this salty-sour and simultaneously sweet sensation completely shatters preconceived notions about consuming pomegranates.
The pomegranate holds strong symbolic significance in the region, representing life, fertility, and prosperity. In Iran, the consumption of pomegranate (often with salt and the spice golpar) is the centerpiece of celebrations for the winter solstice festival and the longest night of the year. Families gather, recite poetry, and eat the red fruit, which symbolizes the glow of life and the sunrise after a dark night.
The pomegranate season peaks in autumn and winter, when piles of extracted seeds tempt passersby at markets for a quick refreshment.
I am glad I got to taste the pomegranate with salt as well. One portion in the busy square below the citadel in Erbil cost me 1,000 IQD (0.60 EUR). And what about you, would you give it a try?
Bon appétit!
