The fruit apparently originated from Iran to the east is a tree and from there to the west, brought and spread by the Phoenicians to the Mediterranean. It has been appreciated since time immemorial and is a beloved fruit of all the cultures of the area. The Mingran grain has walked inexorably on the altars of all the Jews, Muslims, Christians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and sects of those areas. It has also come to Geure, a long time ago, and some names have been taken from those who have come from that journey: Punisaga, Milagrana, Mingrana and Granada; others, Xócora, Alesaga and Alegorri, seem to have originated from Basque. Those who speak Spanish say that Granada is called “mingrana” in Milagro. It is more or less a dozen centuries since the Arabs settled in southern Navarre. And the wise men of the east would not have come without the mingranondo. As the Mingranondo, or Rechal Mingrana, the Pomegranate, is a Mingranale, it has in us at least the antiquity of its abundant name.

The mingrana season in the Basque Country is gone. Yes, yes, this is also seen there and beyond and will be one of those fruit trees that will proliferate more and more. In our house comes a lot, to see if in this new season it is about to begin to encourage and intend to bear fruit.

Its mustard adds a beautiful point of life to autumn. We drank directly with a bunch of ginger (Zingiber officinale). But as the harvest increases I intend to work other ways of this wort: I want to make punisagardo. Puni cider (Nikolas Ormaetxea “Orixe”), mingrana-mistela (Juan Inazio Goikoetxea “Castle”) or pomegranate-mistela (Santiago Onaindia) have been received by writers of the past century.

With that punisagardo I want to domesticate the world of cocktails. I have a few with eyes and sincerity: Tequila Sunrise: punisagardo, orange juice (Citrus sinensis) and tequila (Agave tequilana); Sex on the Beach: punisagardo and orange peach (Prunus persica) and cranberry juice (Vaccinium myrtillus); and Diabolo: punisagardo syrup and lemonade.

This Sex on the Beach leather trick will have a lot of tanto, but I think Diabolo will be the one that drinks the most in our house. In fact, the mingran to form the cocktail with the grenadine also has another beautiful name: the allegory. And according to what the Franciscan lexicographer Kandido Izagirre received in the area of Arantzazu in the last century, the allegory is “a person a little distant from the church”.

The mingrana has another nice edeski: in agi dana each and every one of the mingrana grains has the same amount of grains inside. But what the number is, not everyone agrees. Some say that years are as many as days: 365 units. Others say they have 613. Have you ever counted? We're gonna have to prune them to the cocktail.