nar çok seviyorum..

I have learned that Turkey in the winter is the perfect place for a pomegranate addiction. The season is coming to a close now but, in its trajectory, I have become completely obsessed. In Istanbul, entire stands are devoted to the fruit, huge piles of rosy pomegranates (nar) topped with sliced displays of the juicy pips inside. Pomegranate juice is also a staple, completely assimilated into the city routine in the form of juice stands, where people offer freshly squeezed nar on the side of the road. As you continue southward, the fruit stays alongside. I learned that there are two kinds of pomegranates here - red and white. Red are most common, with smaller seeds and a bitter taste, white are generally a smaller fruit, sweeter, and with larger, crunchy seeds. In fact, at the Alanya open market last Friday, I tried my first white pomegranate, "beyaz nar." I, consequently, brought home a kilo.
Yesterday, while exploring the Castle above the Center (where we have classes), I stumbled upon a pomegranate tree. It was spindly and leafless, but a few burst pomegranate rinds remained, vibrantly red yet torn and completely empty. It looked like someone had hung them there as a practical joke, but in fact, each connected to a branch by a thick stem. I'm left now with this beautiful image of empty pomegranates, of what nature does when we don't pick them.

empty fruit floating in a tree

burst and scattered