I often get a quick and reliable introduction to places I visit by looking at their arts and crafts. Artists and artisans can only produce what they are familiar with – typical representations of their cultural inheritance.
Before I set foot in Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, I had no idea of the place of lemons in the regional culture and economy. It did not take long to notice the liberal representations of lemons in this part of Italy. Lemons are a recurrent theme in local arts and crafts, and lemonade and limoncello are readily available to locals and visitors alike.
The story repeats itself in Uzbekistan, the first central Asian country I visited, but with notable differences. Looking at Uzbek’s arts and crafts tells me that pomegranate has a place in the local culture. Compared with lemons in the Sorrentine peninsula, pomegranates sit at a lower level of visibility, even though they are the only fruit or flower that local artists choose to portray.
There are comparatively few visitors to Uzbekistan, as the country is in the initial stages of earnestly developing the tourist industry. Even so, I noticed pomegranate drinks for sale, and if you look carefully, pomegranate is often an item in the local salad.
Travelling is a learning experience, and pomegranate prompted me to dig deeper than what met my eyes. According to East Fruit, pomegranate is a new strategic fruit for the economy of Uzbekistan. There is now a growing appetite for pomegranate and active expansion of cultivation. The fruit is usually consumed raw but could also be processed for use in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. India is the largest pomegranate producer, and China, although a major producer, is the largest importer in the world. The challenge for Uzbekistan is to produce a meaningfully large quantity of produce (in a relatively less-than-conducive farming environment) and a readily accessible market.
Travelling is indeed an enriching experience. After visiting Uzbekistan, I learned more about pomegranate. The word “pomegranate”, which was asleep all this while, is now awake in my post-Uzbekistan visit life.
Vince
Dr Vincent Chong is a retired Professor of Radiology at Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore.
