(Nimrod, according to biblical legend, was a great-grandson of Noah.) For Mr. Halahmy and many others, pomegranates are also a major part of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, which this year begins at sundown on Sept. 15 and ends Sept. 17. “Pomegranates remind me of Mesopotamia, my ancestral home, whether I am in Jerusalem, Baghdad or New York,” Mr. Halahmy said. “Rosh Hashana starts in Babylon with pomegranates,” he said. Mr. Halahmy included these memories and customs in a self-published cookbook called “Iraqi Cooking: Exile Is Home,” which calls for pomegranates in stews, soups and sorbets.

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Persons: Nimrod, Noah, Halahmy, ” Mr, “, Rosh Hashana, ” Organizations: Metropolitan Museum of Art Locations: Rosh Hashana, Jerusalem, Baghdad, New York, Jaffa, Israel, Iraq