Name: Guinea hen with pomegranate (Faraona alla melagrana)
Yield: Serves 2–4 (depending on the size of the bird)
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 cup (250 ml) unsweetened pomegranate juice, or the juice of 2 pomegranates; 3–4 garlic cloves, skin on, lightly bashed; 2 rosemary sprigs; 1 guinea hen, cleaned, skin on, cut into 6 pieces; my bird weighed a bit more than 1 kg (2 lb 4 oz); a handful of thyme sprigs; seeds of 1 pomegranate; 1 teaspoon salt; a handful of dried porcini mushrooms; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 2 bay leaves

Preparation info

Serves
2–4
(depending on the size of the bird)

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Pomegranates & Artichokes

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 (