Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

Azerbaijan is a country of ancient traditions that have been respected for centuries. In addition, the country is keen on creating more pleasant traditions, Pomegranate Festival is among them.

This unique and juicy holiday has been celebrated regularly in early November since 2006 around the country and mainly in Goychay.

Goychay's pomegranates have gained international recognition as the true Azerbaijani pomegranates. The secret of the magnificent taste and quality of the Goychay pomegranates is unique microclimate and fruitful soil.

The main attraction of the beautiful pomegranates is its sweet and healthy seeds. Pomegranate contains 8-19 percent of glucose and fructose, 3-7 percent - citric acid, minerals as well as vitamins, cellulose, and pectin substances. This fruit is extremely rich in antioxidants.

Pomegranate juice improves appetite and treats anaemia and other diseases.

The king of all fruits, as it is called in Azerbaijan, pomegranate is constantly associated with fertility and strong health.

The pomegranate has been praised in the Holy Quran and considered to be a fruit of paradise. For this reason, Azerbaijanis concern this tree and its fruits as sacred.

This fruit is also honored in other religious. For the Christians, pomegranate means life and hope for eternal life, for the Jews, it represents righteousness, and for the Chinese it implies wealth and many sons.

The Azerbaijani climate, that has nine of eleven climatic zones, is perfect for pomegranate in the southern regions with mild winters and hot summers. The symbol of profusion, pomegranate has been cultivated in the country throughout centuries.

The most popular Azerbaijani sorts of pomegranates are Guloysha, Bala Mursal, Nazik gabig, Shah nar, Girmizi gabig, Shelli cross breeding, Girmizi valas Shahnaz, and Agshirin.

The attractive feature of the Azerbaijani pomegranates is its non-use of organic fertilizers.

Azerbaijan not only grows pomegranates, but also produces pomegranate juice for export. Another export product from pomegranate that is very famous beyond the country is juice concentrate Narsharab, which is used as a sauce to meat and fish.

As you can see, pomegranate is a wonder and holding of festival of such a profitable fruit seems evident.

The festival gathers the varieties of pomegranates grown in different villages of Goychay and the products made of pomegranate to the exhibition held in the town square.

Foreigners and local tourists adore to come here to eat pomegranate and drink its juice to heart's content.

Along with degustation, young athletes' performs, concerts, games and quizzes are taking place in the town's center at the holiday. One of the most interesting games is extracting pomegranate juice with hands for time.

This holiday is also a perfect opportunity to provide your body with vitamins before the cold winter, so do not miss any chance to see the biggest pomegranate in Goychay.