Soak your chickpeas overnight, head to the kitchen in a sleep-deprived daze and wake up to the scent of sautéed onion, garlic, cinnamon and cardamom. A breakfast staple in Lebanon, is sweetened with pomegranate molasses and topped with pine nuts, herbs and garlicky tahini-spiked yoghurt. Via 
Source: Feast Magazine
Simple, dense and thrillingly moist, this recipe comes from chef and host of , Stevie Parle. The additions of salt, chilli and tequila may sound a little unconventional, but trust us; this baby will blow your mind.
Really easy chocolate cake with chilli, salt and tequila. Source: Emma Grazette
Chickpeas can be a little underwhelming in their raw state, but when seasoned, spiced with baharat and roasted until crunchy, the humble legume turns into some kind of wonderful. Serve warm in our .
Source: Benito Martin
You’ll feel as if you’ve been whisked away to a Persian palace with every bite of this recipe from . Basted with ghee and roasted to perfection, the are stuffed with barberries, sour cherries, saffron and pomegranate.
Cauliflower is tired of being underestimated. The versatile vege is more than a cheesy partner; you can it, it, pop it into or turn it into . Here, we’ve roasted the heads in a blisteringly hot oven and mixed with a .
Source: Benito Martin
The Middle East’s answer to dumplings, these are encased in burghul (cracked wheat) dough. Fill yours with beef or lamb mince, parsley, spices and pomegranate seeds.
Matthew Evans gets his eggplant smokin’ by scorching the skin on a gas burner, before finishing the job in the oven. Here, he turns the roasted result into , pairing it with , pine nuts, fresh herbs and a sweet pomegranate dressing. Via 
Haloumi with baba ganoush and pomegranate dressing Source: Alan Benson
Featuring tomatoes, peppers, parsley and a swill of pomegranate molasses, , known as , is one of the nation’s favourite dishes. We served the salad with to match our meaty mood. Go for haloumi and flatbread if you swing on the vegetarian side.
Source: Alan Benson
Step aside quinoa, freekeh’s here to steal the superfood crown. In this from , the wholegrain makes friends with similarly salubrious ingredients, including . Dressed with cinnamon and orange juice, it’s a health nut’s edible dream.
Duck fat does wonders in this from chef . Sauced with port, pomegranate and sour plums, and served on a bed of greens, this is a little bit naughty and a whole lot of nice.
Source: Alan Benson
11. Interesting and adventurous?
Smash those preconceived notions of what a salad should be. In , mixes toasted hazelnuts with ruby grapefruits, green olives, avocado and snow pea sprouts.
Called arroz doce in Portugal and riz au lait in France, rice pudding is loved the whole world over. This Middle Eastern version from laces the comforting dessert with .
Cinnamon and rosewater rice pudding with pomegranate syrup Source: Chris Chen
The chefs at Melbourne restaurant have made over Mexican classic chiles en nogada (chillies in walnut sauce) with the addition of . Combine spices and dried mulato chillies with cumin and coriander seeds to give your pork a good rubbing.
Want 37 more reasons to pursue pomegranate? Check out our recipe collection .
