The pomegranate (Punica granatum) is a leathery-skinned fruit packed with hundreds of jewel-like seeds, each sheathed in a translucent, juice-filled sac called an aril. Sweet-tart and astringent, the crimson arils pop and crunch, staining everything a deep ruby — eaten by the handful, scattered over dishes, or pressed into one of the world's oldest cultivated juices.