Are Pomegranate Seeds Edible?

Our answer

Nigella uses pomegranate seeds in many recipes, including the Lentils With Tamarind And Dates, as not only is their jewel-like look attractive but they also provide bursts of sweet-sharp flavour. They are certainly edible and all of the ingredients in Nigella's recipes are edible. If a decoration were not edible then there would be a warning supplied with the recipe.

Pomegranate seeds are actually small white seeds surrounded by a pink-red fleshy aril. It is the aril that contains the juice and flavour but it is exceptionally difficult to only use the aril and not the seed. Some people find the white seeds themselves irritating as they can get stuck in teeth, so may choose to not eat them. If this is a concern then you can certainly omit the pomegranate seeds and use some extra dill and pine nuts instead.