Guinea hen with pomegranate

Faraona alla melagrana

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Preparation info
  • Serves

    2–4

    (depending on the size of the bird)
    • Difficulty

      Easy

Appears in
Pomegranates & Artichokes: Recipes and memories of a journey from Iran to Italy

By Saghar Setareh

Published 2023

  • About

Guinea hen in Italian is called faraona, which is almost the same word used for ‘pharaoh’. This, plus the supposedly exotic pomegranates, makes the dish sound and look extravagant and luxurious.

I first heard about this dish from my friend Valentina, whose family has peasant roots in the Le Marche and Romagna regions. She mentioned it in passing as something her mum would cook, and I was immediately reminded of chicken with pomegranate sauce (