# Swallow pomegranate seeds? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 17, 2011, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallow-pomegranate-seeds/582164 "2011-05-17T01:28:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallow-pomegranate-seeds/582164/1 "2011-05-17T01:28:39Z")
I always have, after I chew the pulp off I just swallow the seed. I think others do too, but I recently got some dried ones fom Trader Joe’s (pretty good) and it’s different. Which is why I got to thinking. Do other people swallow the seeds, and is it okay? I would assume they’d pass right through, but my system isn’t what it used to be. Any opinions out there in SDMB land? Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallow-pomegranate-seeds/582164/2 "2011-05-17T01:39:52Z")
I normally spit 'em. No real reason why. ---
**Author:** ![corvidae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@corvidae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corvidae)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallow-pomegranate-seeds/582164/3 "2011-05-17T01:44:03Z")
I’ve never had dried pomegranate seeds, but I’ve always swallowed the fresh ones. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallow-pomegranate-seeds/582164/4 "2011-05-17T01:45:41Z")
I’ve never (purposely) swallowed the seeds. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallow-pomegranate-seeds/582164/5 "2011-05-17T02:12:15Z")
I swallow 'em, sometimes whole and sometimes chewed. No problems. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallow-pomegranate-seeds/582164/6 "2011-05-17T02:34:33Z")
No you can suck the juice. If you eat them, then you have to spend half the year being Pluto’s bitch 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallow-pomegranate-seeds/582164/7 "2011-05-17T02:40:41Z")
Sometimes I spit out the fresh seeds, sometimes I just eat them because it is easier. Put fresh seeds and Camembert cheese on your favorite cracker and insert into mouth. Mmm… ---
**Author:** ![nikonikosuru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@nikonikosuru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nikonikosuru)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallow-pomegranate-seeds/582164/8 "2011-05-17T02:43:03Z")
I’ve always chewed and swallowed them. Not like there’s a bad taste to them or anything, and trying to get off all the fruit around it just to spit it out seems too tedious. ---
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallow-pomegranate-seeds/582164/9 "2011-05-17T02:54:53Z")
Has anyone here ever roasted them like pumpkin seeds? Will that work? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallow-pomegranate-seeds/582164/10 "2011-05-17T02:56:22Z")
Just don’t eat 'em in Hades, or you’ll _never_ get out. Seriously – do you undersyand the point of fruit and seeds? Fruit is a bribe that the pant assembles so that animals will eat the fruit, seeds and all, and poop it out somewhere far away, complete with a dollop of fertilizer. It’s the major ay that plants use animals top propagate and spread their progeny. The only problem is if the seed is too big and unwieldy for your digestive tract. Pomegranate seeds shouldn’t be. But leave the avocados to glyptodonts. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallow-pomegranate-seeds/582164/11 "2011-05-17T12:40:48Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Just don’t eat 'em in Hades, or you’ll _never_ get out. > > Seriously – do you undersyand the point of fruit and seeds? Fruit is a bribe that the pant assembles so that animals will eat the fruit, seeds and all, and poop it out somewhere far away, complete with a dollop of fertilizer. It’s the major ay that plants use animals top propagate and spread their progeny. > > The only problem is if the seed is too big and unwieldy for your digestive tract. Pomegranate seeds shouldn’t be. But leave the avocados to glyptodonts. Hmmm, I wonder if the neighbors would mind if I took a dump in their back yard. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallow-pomegranate-seeds/582164/12 "2011-05-17T12:49:04Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > No you can suck the juice. If you eat them, then you have to spend half the year being Pluto’s bitch 🙂 So long as it’s the Pluto who speaks Latin and not Mickey’s Pluto I’m fine with it. When we argue he can yell at me in Latin and I’ll yell back in Spanish. Never had dried pomegranate seeds; eating pomegranate without eating the hard part of the seeds seems like a ridiculously big effort. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallow-pomegranate-seeds/582164/13 "2011-05-17T14:06:49Z")
Moving thread from IMHO to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallow-pomegranate-seeds/582164/14 "2011-05-17T16:07:21Z")
Don’t swallow the seed, or else a tree will grow in your stomach! ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallow-pomegranate-seeds/582164/15 "2011-05-17T16:11:00Z")
I’m a spitter. Don’t like crunching the hard things. I will, however, eat every part of an apple except the stem. And the skin of a mango is chewy and delicious. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallow-pomegranate-seeds/582164/16 "2011-05-17T16:12:24Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > …Never had dried pomegranate seeds; eating pomegranate without eating the hard part of the seeds seems like a ridiculously big effort. This is exactly why I also eat the shell of sunflower seeds; too much damned work otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Feyrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/fbc32d/32.png) [@Feyrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feyrat)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallow-pomegranate-seeds/582164/17 "2011-05-17T16:14:43Z")
I always chew them up. I’ve never even attempted to suck the tiny amount of juice/fruit off and spit them out, that seems like too much work! ---
**Author:** ![Eugene\_of\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c37758/32.png) [@Eugene\_of\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eugene_of_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallow-pomegranate-seeds/582164/18 "2011-05-17T18:07:21Z")
Us kuntry boys were taught to suck the seeds and spit em out. Don’t guess it really matters. Kind of like the tails on fried shrimp. Some places they catch you eatin the whole schmeer they gonna thank you wacky. I have seen that done. ---
**Author:** ![Teacake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Teacake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teacake)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallow-pomegranate-seeds/582164/19 "2011-05-17T20:46:33Z")
It never occurred to me not to eat them. They’re crunchy! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallow-pomegranate-seeds/582164/20 "2011-05-17T20:55:33Z")
I thought that eating the seeds was the whole point of pomegranates. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallow-pomegranate-seeds/582164.md?page=2)