The colorful autumn is here and invites you to feast, hike and cycle. The popular pumpkin season starts in Germany in autumn. Whether as a cake, baked vegetables or in the form of a delicious pumpkin soup, when prepared correctly, pumpkin is a real autumn delicacy!
A good 15 years ago there were hardly any pumpkins on offer in this country and certainly not different varieties. This has changed due to the increasing popularity of the colorful vegetable. Pumpkin increasingly became one of the world's favorite vegetables. The variety in the local markets is huge and offers multi-faceted taste experiences.
In this guide we would like to tell you about our five most popular pumpkin varieties. We give you tips & Tricks and useful information at your fingertips. As usual, at the end of this article you will also find delicious pumpkin recipes to make yourself. Let's go!
1. Butternut
You have probably seen this delicious representative many times and probably eaten it too. Butternut squash is one of the most popular varieties and impresses with its pear-like shape, beige skin and orange flesh. Since the seeds of the butternut are mainly located in the bulbous part of the pumpkin, it is very easy to process.
Characteristics of Butternut
- Taste: The butternut scores with its pleasant nutty-sweet taste and a subtle buttery note.
- Use: The butternut is wonderful for preparing cakes, jams and soups. Roasting, stuffing and steaming also work very well with this pumpkin.
2. Hokkaido
The Hokkaido pumpkin is one of the most commonly used types of pumpkin. This species is smaller than most other types of pumpkin and usually does not weigh more than two kilograms. The Hokkaido is as easy to process as the butternut. The peel, with its strong orange-red color, is edible. It is ideal for the classic pumpkin soup.
Characteristics of Hokkaido
- Taste: The pumpkin scores with its low-fiber yet juicy flesh. We would describe the taste as nutty-sweet.
- Use: The Hokkaido can also be wonderfully processed into cakes, casseroles, pumpkin cream soup, puree or stuffed.
3. Delicata
“Nomen est omen! Delicious! Very nice! So full of flavor! Just Delicata”
Characteristics of the Delicata
- Taste: Compared to other types of pumpkin, this one stands out due to its mild overall note. The pulp tastes slightly fruity-sweet with a hint of nuts.
- Use: The Delicata is suitable for cakes and desserts, as well as for hearty dishes for grilling, baking and roasting.
4. Muskatkürbis
The Muskatkürbis is a fairly large representative of its kind. It is related to the butternut and can weigh up to 40 kg. Because of its massive pulp and relatively few seeds, it is very valued in this country. You get a lot of pumpkin here for little money.
Properties of the Muskatkürbis
- Taste: The taste is much more intense in direct comparison to other varieties. As soon as you cut into the Muskatkürbis, you will notice a very spicy smell coming from the orange flesh. This already gives an idea of the full-bodied taste.
- Use: The Muskatkürbis is great for soups, casseroles, compotes or as a potato-pumpkin puree. You can also enhance the taste with finely grated nutmeg. A real pleasure.
5. Gelber Zentner
A chunk of a pumpkin. The "Gelbe Zenter" can weigh up to 50 kg. It has yellow flesh and is quite watery in consistency. This pumpkin is widely grown in Germany.
Characteristics of the "Gelbe Zenter"
- Taste: In terms of taste, the "Gelbe Zenter" can be described as mildly spicy.
- Use: This type of pumpkin works best in soups or as a creamy puree. But chutneys and jams can also benefit from its mild, spicy aroma.
Process pumpkin seeds instead of throwing them away
We often hear that many people don't know what to do with the pumpkin seeds. “Just DON’T throw it away!” Pumpkin seeds contain valuable ingredients and can be transformed into delicious snacks with little effort.
In all pumpkin recipes, a small or large amount of seeds fall off during processing. Depending on the type of pumpkin, the pumpkin seeds are firmly attached to the pulp. Since you have to remove the pulp for your recipe anyway, you can also collect and clean the seeds at the same time.
Remove pumpkin seeds correctly in three steps
- Step 1: Hollow out the pumpkin with a tea spoon or tablespoon. Then use your fingers to remove the seeds from the pulp. Place the collected seeds in a bowl of water. Since fibers of the pulp always stick to the seeds, you have to rub them well in the peel. This means that even the last fibers can be removed.
- Step 2: Lay a dry kitchen towel next to the water bowl. You can now either pour the water, including the clean seeds, through a kitchen sieve or fish it out with your hands. Then place the pumpkin seeds on the kitchen towel, cover them with it and carefully rub them dry. This will remove the last fibers.
- Step 3: You can now either nibble the clean kernels fresh, dry them or roast them. We recommend that you dry them and then process them further. We'll tell you how to do this in the next step.
Dry pumpkin seeds properly
Get pumpkin seeds dry in three steps
- Step 1: You can tip the kernels you have just rubbed dry from the towel into a shallow bowl and place on the heater. The heat from the heater in combination with the air in the room ensures that it dries very quickly.
- Step 2: It's even quicker in the oven. You don't have to turn on the oven specifically for this. You can use the residual heat after baking in a very energy-efficient way. Simply pour the kernels onto a baking tray, distribute them evenly and put them in the still warm oven. Make sure that the oven is no longer too hot and do not close it completely!
- Step 3: If you frequently eat pumpkins and other seed-producing vegetables, purchasing an automatic dehydrator makes sense. With this you can remove the moisture from your harvest in a very short time. Unfortunately, good dehydrators are not that cheap and can cost between 150 and 600 euros.
Our opinion: Options 1 and 2 are certainly the best choice for normal home use and are completely sufficient for drying pumpkin seeds.
Roast pumpkin seeds properly
Roasting pumpkin seeds is super easy and quick too.
- Step 1: Preheat your oven to 180°C and set it to top and bottom heat.
- Step 2: Take approx. 200g of your cleaned and dried pumpkin seeds and put them in a bowl.
- Step 3: Add three tablespoons of rapeseed or sunflower oil to the bowl and season the seeds as desired. Salt, pepper, paprika, chili or garlic in powder form are wonderful for refining the pumpkin seeds. Then mix the ingredients well with your hands or a wooden spoon.
- Step 4: Take a baking tray and line it with baking paper or a platinum silicone baking mat. Now distribute the seeds evenly and put the baking tray in the oven.
- Step 5: The kernels must be roasted in the oven for a good 25 minutes. You should turn them once halfway through and check them every now and then - so that they don't get too crispy.
Tada! Your roasted pumpkin seeds are ready. Let them cool for a while and then store them in a dry container. Now nothing stands in the way of a sociable evening at the cinema at home.
Caramelize pumpkin seeds properly
Caramelizing pumpkin seeds is quick and easy.
- Step 1: Grab a bowl and add about 200g of clean and dried pumpkin seeds.
- Step 2: Then add two tablespoons of rapeseed or sunflower oil, three tablespoons of sugar and a pinch of salt into the bowl. Mix the ingredients with your hands or a wooden spoon.
- Step 3: Heat your hob and pan to medium heat. A coated pan is best for caramelizing.
- Step 4: Pour the contents of the bowl into the heated pan and constantly stir the seeds with a spoon. The goal is achieved when the sugar liquefies and caramelizes.
- Step 5: Place the caramelized pumpkin seeds in a shallow bowl and let them cool.
Done! Caramelized, the kernels taste really great and are a delicious snack on the side.
Where does the pumpkin come from?
The pumpkin originally comes from America and was already around 9000 years BC. Cultivated by Native Americans such as the Maya around 2000 BC. Traditionally, pumpkin is still eaten there together with corn and beans. This combination is called "Three Sisters" or Milpa.
With the discovery of America by the Europeans, the pumpkin came to the old continent and has since become firmly established. Due to its easy cultivation and rich ingredients, it is now grown worldwide in preferably warm regions that have high levels of sunlight and alternating dry and rainy seasons. The pumpkin thrives primarily in wet lowland areas, river banks and in sandy and gravel soils close to water. The world's largest exporter of pumpkins is China.
So much for the great pumpkin. Conclusion: It is versatile, tasty, easy to process and inexpensive. A real power vegetable for the fall season. We wish you bon appetite and lots of fun cooking, baking, experimenting and making things yourself.
Pumpkin Recipes
Discover eight delicious recipes with pumpkin that are quick and easy to prepare.
general.delivery
