Producers usually say that the fruit is ripe if it produces a metallic sound when tapped.

Select fruit with a dark red skin. The heavier the fruit, the juicier it will be.

The skin should not be bruised; it should be smooth and shiny.

Lebanon
The Lebanese use the sour variety of pomegranate to make a syrup called Rab er‘remane which is used in numerous savory dishes to add a pleasant tang, among them grilled eggplant with sesame cream (mtabbal), roasted eggplant and garlic purée (baba ganoush), and meat pizza (lahm b'ajine).