Pomegranate Molasses

The cooked-down juice of mostly unripe pomegranates becomes a dark, syrupy, tart, fruity condiment, truly unlike any other. It is a basic ingredient in many Middle Eastern and North African salads and vegetable dishes. There are now many brands, both domestic and imported, available in markets. They range in flavor and some are quite sweet. For these recipes I suggest the more sour kinds, like Lebanese pomegranate molasses (see Sources), which give the most authentic taste to the dishes I propose. If you have a sweet molasses, add some lemon.