Autumn without pumpkin? Impossible! We love pumpkin and also like to prepare various recipes. But what kinds of pumpkins for eating are there actually and what are the differences between them?
Now that the days are getting shorter again and the trees more colorful, the time of pumpkins begins. Even if I am a huge summer fan and already mourn the temperatures - pumpkins comfort me over the end of summer.
Many think of the classic varieties, such as butternut or Hokkaido pumpkin.
But there are many more varieties of pumpkin with which you can conjure up delicious autumn dishes. From green, yellow, orange to white, everything is in it. And there are also big differences in taste.
And: not every pumpkin is suitable for every dish.
They differ in taste and consistency. And, of course, the color of the flesh. Thus, muffins succeed best with Hokkaido, while they are guaranteed to end in a culinary disaster with spaghetti squash.
If you want to use pumpkin varieties for food properly and make something mega delicious out of it, you're in the right place. I tell you which pumpkin is best for which dish and what you need to look for in each variety.
Great pumpkin love: tarte flambée with feta, pumpkin and beet!
What all pumpkin varieties have in common for eating
The different varieties of pumpkin not only taste good, but they all contain valuable ingredients such as potassium, calcium, zinc and vitamins of groups A, C, D and E.
And few calories. This makes them exciting not only for those who want to lose a little weight, but for anyone who likes to eat healthy.
The many fibers ensure that our digestion functions properly.
That's why the vegetables can end up on the table more often.
If the skin is not broken, you can store a pumpkin for weeks and even months. However, for this it must be dry, cool and dark.
Cut pumpkins will last in the refrigerator for about a week.
The 11 best pumpkin varieties to eat
Pumpkin is equal to squash? No! We introduce you to different types of pumpkin, from which you can prepare delicious.
There are a few poisonous pumpkin varieties - you'll find them at the end of this post. There is no danger from supermarket produce, which is usually mistaken for garden squash. With homegrown squash, watch for bitter tastes. If bitterness appears, the rule is not to eat the pumpkin and spit out the bitter piece of your health.
Edible and ornamental pumpkins in the garden should not be planted close to each other to avoid crossing different types of pumpkins. That way, the dangerous bitter compounds won't be your undoing. You don't have to worry about cooking or eating these varieties.
If you have pumpkins in your garden yourself: you can tell if a pumpkin is ripe by the hollow sound it makes when you knock on it.
The classic: Hokkaido
Hokkaido is probably the most famous and popular variety of pumpkin to eat.
Its shape is reminiscent of an onion. The skin is bright orange and can be cooked and eaten. This makes the preparation particularly easy.
You can simply save yourself the trouble of peeling. You only need to remove the stalk and the place where the pumpkin is located on the ground.
The flesh is very low in fiber and becomes tender when cooked. Cut into small pieces and boiled in water, it is cooked in about 10 minutes and can then be turned into soups, purees, cakes, pies and more.
The Hokkaido pumpkin contains abundant beta carotene. As well as vitamin A, C, potassium, magnesium and folic acid.
In addition, the pumpkin variety is very low in calories. 100 grams have just 67 calories.
Try these fluffy breakfast rolls with pumpkin!
Taste: The nutty flavor of the Hokkaido is somewhat reminiscent of chestnuts, which is why it is often called chestnut pumpkin.
Kitchen Tip: The pumpkin tastes especially good as soup, puree, gratin, goulash or as a cake. If you slice the pumpkin very thin, you can even eat it raw.
Harvest time: From September to November.
Butternut
Butternut is also one of the popular and well-known varieties of pumpkins for eating.
Unlike the Hokkaido, the butternut squash has a pale yellowish smooth skin and is pear-shaped. Its flesh is light orange.
The skin is very thin but quite hard. You can easily remove it with a potato peeler or sharp knife.
The pumpkin is also characterized by its few seeds and a lot of pulp.
The pumpkin variety has very little fat and is rich in vitamin C, magnesium, potassium and calcium.
Taste: This variety has a delicate buttery aroma.
Kitchen Tip: In the kitchen, the butternut squash is a true all-rounder. You can prepare almost anything. With strong components such as garlic, chili or fresh herbs, it tastes particularly aromatic.
My favorite recipe: stuffed pumpkin from the oven.
Yummy: pumpkin gnocchi with sage and garlic!
Harvest time: The main season is from September to November.
Nutmeg pumpkin
This pumpkin owes its name to its aroma, which is slightly reminiscent of nutmeg.
When immature, the nutmeg pumpkin is green and then slowly turns light brown-orange.
Taste: The flesh is rich orange, firm and tastes finely nutty, fruity and almost sweet with a nutmeg note.
Kitchen Tip: The nutmeg pumpkin tastes delicious as a creamy puree, soup, chutney, dessert or baked in the oven. But you can even eat the pumpkin raw.
Harvest time: Harvested this variety of pumpkin from August to October. However, it is not harvested fully ripe.
Still not enough of soup? Try this sweet potato pumpkin soup!
Spaghetti squash
This variety of pumpkin for eating can be recognized by its oval-round, elongated shape and yellow color. It looks like a honeydew melon, right? But it's actually a pumpkin. So better look carefully before you suddenly make a honeydew melon soup instead of a pumpkin soup :)
However, you should not be deceived by the colorless exterior. It's the inner values that count here.
The pale yellow flesh has long fibers and can be removed from the skin like spaghetti after cooking.
For pasta fans, spaghetti squash is an ideal low-carb pasta option. Also for people with gluten intolerance, the pumpkin is a good alternative.
Taste: The pumpkin has a very mild, slightly nutty flavor, making it versatile.
Kitchen Tip: The spaghetti squash is cooked whole or roasted in the oven. Tastes great with sauce, cheese or as a salad.
Harvest time: August to November.
Heavenly pumpkin cookies without sugar and flour!
Pumpkin varieties to eat: Bishop's Cap
This pumpkin is especially noticeable for its unusual appearance.
As it grows, the base of the flower remains as a ring, around which bulging and often different colored flesh is then formed.
Due to the adhesion, the bishop's cap is difficult to cut. You need a lot of nerves and also finger dexterity. Therefore, the pumpkin is usually hollowed out and filled with soup.
TasteThe firm pulp tastes particularly aromatic and is very healthy. It has a dehydrating effect.
Kitchen Tip: With this pumpkin you should not eat the peel. Stuffed or cooked, it tastes best.
Harvest time: Bishop's cap is harvested from August to September.
Fancy pumpkin from the oven? This is how you cook pumpkin slices crispy!
Giant hundredweight
This pumpkin bears its name quite rightly. He becomes namely up to 50 kg heavy. You can eat from a single pumpkin throughout the winter. Provided you freeze it in small pieces or rely on boiling down soup.
Under its thick yellow-orange skin hides a soft flesh rich in water.
If you have a sunny compost pile, then you should try the experiment. It's worth it and the pumpkins actually get very huge. I had one last year that weighed 10 kg. But that's still a baby comparatively. Enough for 5 days of soup it was, however :)
Taste: The pulp tastes very mild and neutral, making it perfect for many types of preparation.
Kitchen Tip: The many flesh is very popular for pickling or soups. The pumpkin variety for eating is also perfect for scooping and carving for Halloween.
Harvest time: Harvesting takes place in October.
Long of Naples
As the name suggests, this variety of pumpkin becomes really long to eat. It can grow up to 1.5 meters.
Taste: The Long Naples tastes fully aromatic, fruity and has a delicate nutmeg note.
Kitchen Tip: This variety is also versatile. In salads, soups, vegetable dishes or goulash - it simply always fits. Mediterranean spices again emphasize the fine aroma.
Harvest time: September and October
Sweet Dumpling
The skin of this variety of pumpkin is orange and has colorful stripes. Most often they are green, yellow or orange. The flesh is brightly colored, firm and very tender.
Taste: This pumpkin has a particularly good aroma. It tastes almost chestnut and has a slight sweetness.
Kitchen Tip: Sweet Dumpling also does not need to be peeled and is versatile. By the way, pumpkin contains a lot of healthy ingredients.
Harvest time: This pumpkin is harvested in September and October.
Patisson
This pumpkin belongs to the smaller species. Its shape resembles a UFO and it is usually green, white or yellow in color.
Because they are so small, they have hardly any seeds compared to other types of pumpkin for eating and also do not need to be peeled. That's mega handy when it's time to go fast.
Taste: The mini-patisson is similar in taste to the artichoke. Smaller patisson squash is also more aromatic than larger.
Super delicious and vegan: pumpkin soup with apple!
Kitchen Tip: You can process raw and with peel. Also stuffed from the oven, as a soup or vegetable garnish, the patisson is a really tasty dish.
Harvest time: From July to October
Edible pumpkin: Baby Bear
This pumpkin is very small and grows only about 10 cm. The special thing about Baby Bear pumpkin is that you can plant it even on the balcony in flower boxes.
It only needs a very nutrient-rich and well-drained soil, as well as a location with sun or partial shade.
Taste: Baby Bear squash is a winter squash with yellow flesh that has a very sweet taste.
Kitchen Tip: This variety of pumpkin for eating is especially suitable for soups, cakes, purees and jams. The skin is relatively hard, so you should peel the pumpkin beforehand.
Harvest time: Is from July to September.
Zucchini
It's true: zucchini belongs to the plant family of cucurbits. The elongated, green-colored vegetable is a type of garden squash.
It is thus the most common type of pumpkin to eat, and this despite the fact that you would not even think that it is a pumpkin :)
Zucchini can not be missing in the summer kitchen in any case. It is mega low in calories and so incredibly versatile. From spicy sauces to sweet cakes, you can prepare everything your heart desires.
Taste: It tastes slightly nutty, almost neutral and can be prepared in a variety of ways.
Kitchen Tip: It tastes fried, baked, grilled as well as deliciously stuffed. And for those who want to lose weight: It has only a few calories.
Harvest time: From June to October
Warning: this is why you should not eat ornamental pumpkins
They look pretty, but are clearly non-edible pumpkin varieties.
With ornamental pumpkins, it should always be noted that these pumpkin varieties are only suitable for decorative purposes and should not be eaten. All ornamental pumpkin varieties contain toxic cucurbitacin components, which are therefore NOT edible.
Colorful ornamental pumpkins are definitely not suitable for consumption. Bitter substances (cucurbitacins) make them not only inedible, but even poisonous. Even in your own garden, you should be careful with edible pumpkins if you notice a bitter taste when you pick them.
Back mutations or crosses with wild varieties can also again break down the genes for bitter substances in plants. In this case, you should not eat the pumpkin.
Bitter gourds that are consumed can cause nausea, vomiting and intestinal discomfort.
All known ornamental pumpkins are not edible. Nevertheless, the cultivation is worthwhile. The colorful variety makes a good decoration in the garden, home and in floral arrangements. For decorating the following varieties of pumpkins are particularly suitable.
- Bicolor Pear
- Warts Mix
- Gooseneck
- Speckled Swan
- Autumn Wings
- Bottle gourds
- Painting pumpkins
- Turbank pumpkins
- Crowned pumpkins
- Lagenaria Siceraria
Our conclusion
You're probably already familiar with some of the pumpkin varieties you can eat. But maybe this fall you can get to know a new variety or two and add some variety to your plate.
Enjoy it!
PS: If you are unsure, use the pumpkin as a decoration. It also looks beautiful in floral arrangements.
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