In Russian folk tradition, pumpkin occupied an important place not only in cooking, but also in healing, as well as among the Western Slavs participated in various magical practices.
Useful properties of pumpkin
In strava (conscious cooking and eating), it was valued, as in modern cooking, for its rich set of B vitamins, a source of carotene, iodine, magnesium, etc.
Products and dishes made from pumpkin have antiseptic, antiparasitic properties, a pronounced choleretic effect, and it is quite mild, so its use is recommended even for cholelithiasis.
It also reduces cholesterol levels in the blood and is a dietary product that helps normalize metabolism and reduce weight. The oil obtained from its seeds helps normalize liver function and is used in medical procedures as microenemas, and is also taken orally on an empty stomach for hepatitis A and B.
In Russian cooking, pumpkin was used in vegetable dishes, in salads - raw, fried and steamed, for preparing cold and hot soups, mazun, levashi (jam), for making marshmallows, drinks (sbitney, kvass, compotes), small fruits were used as a form in which vegetables, meat, and cereals were baked, thereby acquiring a specific and very original taste. Such dishes were often decorations for a holiday or Sunday table.
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The pulp with seeds , which people carelessly throw away, was also actively used in healing: in its raw form as compresses for “spurs” on the legs, painful calluses, corns, cracked heels, for “growing bones” (at night, a compress under a film ), steamed together with seeds, with the addition of mustard and honey - as compresses for inflamed joints, for osteochondrosis; without mustard, but with honey - on the breasts of women in case of mastitis, mastopathy, stagnation of milk.
The main, edible pulp was actively used in cosmetology : for preparing masks for aging skin, in combination with some herbs, for removing age spots, for removing warts and moles. For preparing masks and soaps to improve hair growth and strengthen nails (with apple juice).
What does a pumpkin symbolize?
In the mythological aspect, PUMPKIN was a plant of the goddess Zhiva , who was also associated with the hundred (chakra) Belly and was responsible not only for earthly and human fertility (her Autumn holiday is September 22 - 24), but also, being the wife of Dazhdbog, was responsible for prosperity , in the broadest sense of the word.
That is why among the Western Slavs the pumpkin also became a symbol of matchmaking (initially, and only then, when traditions were forgotten, it became a symbol of refusal - the film “Trembita”, the main character gave “Garbuz” as a refusal to the groom).
Pumpkin magic
Among the Bulgarians, dried pumpkin, its flowers and seeds were often used in the magic of increasing wealth , in rituals for successful trade, in calling a child (carrying 3 pumpkin seeds near the womb).
And let us remember the holiday of Halloween, where pumpkin is one of the main elements of the ritual. It is celebrated in Western countries from October 31 to November 1.
This is a late interpretation and modification of a ritual action symbolizing the confrontation between two sisters, the goddess Zhiva (symbol of the passing agrarian year, passing light, grace - the symbol of a pumpkin and the light of a candle) and the goddess Mara, who was responsible for the coming time of darkness, trials, purification , a time when we are all tested for spiritual strength, in case of lack of which during its time, our souls can be taken over by various diseases, darkness, illusions - evil “forces” (its symbols are evil monsters and carnival masks of the Halloween holiday).
Initially, in this ritual, the pumpkin was used not only as a candlestick, however, not containing any frightening faces, but also as a gift and decoration of the house, as a symbol of the grace accumulated over the summer , life, which is revered in this house.
The custom of giving a pumpkin on this day was considered a good omen, because with it you give a piece of light, joy and warmth.
Money
Pumpkin is a symbol of wealth, it contains a huge amount of seeds, which usually give us a strong association with coins. There are several ways to use “pumpkin coins” to attract abundance into your home.
1.
Separate exactly 8 seeds, rinse and dry on a sheet of white paper. Place one item in your wallet, and the remaining seven in the pocket of your purse. Magic grains will attract money to you.
2.
Hide the miracle seeds in a house in the wealth sector (southeast), then they will “work” not only for you personally, but will also help increase the income of absolutely all residents in the apartment.
3.
Place coins in a cleaned and dried pumpkin and place a money talisman near the front door. He will attract material wealth to the apartment.
How our ancestors used pumpkin
Pumpkin is the queen of autumn. It usually ripens in September, but late varieties produce a harvest at the end of October. That is why it is often called the “last vegetable” in the garden.
Pumpkin is perfectly stored in a dry and cool place for several months: you can even prepare it for the New Year's table.
Pumpkin is grown everywhere except in the permafrost zone, and therefore there are dozens of traditional dishes made from it in the cuisines of many countries and peoples. For example, in Kazakhstan they prepare manti with pumpkin, in Uzbekistan - milk soup with pumpkin (shirkavak), Italians add pumpkin to risotto, in Austria they make schnapps from it, and in India - halva.
In Rus', pumpkin was called lady, and the traditional dish with it was porridge. Porridge with pumpkin can be cooked in water, milk or cream. Along with pumpkin pieces, you can safely add dried fruits to the porridge.
Pumpkin goes perfectly with millet and rice, but it also works well with all other cereals and legumes. Pumpkin does not avoid such unusual grains as couscous. Today, this Maghreb grain is incredibly popular in world cuisine: dishes with it are prepared in the most prestigious restaurants.
Let's build a defense
The triumphant procession of pumpkins across the expanses of our country began thanks to the penetration of the tradition of celebrating Halloween on October 31 (the eve of All Saints' Day). A pumpkin head with a candle inside is the symbol and main attribute of this mystical holiday. The Celts believed that such a lamp scared away evil spirits.
Interestingly, pumpkin actually protects against witchcraft. To do this, it is hung above the front door. Anyone who constantly carries dried pieces of pumpkin in his pocket or purse is protected from the influence of evil forces.
Rattles are made from pumpkins (dried peas are usually placed inside) to scare away evil spirits from infants.
And if you wear a gold medallion in the shape of a tiny pumpkin around your neck, it will protect its owner from accidents and harmful influences.
To strengthen a person’s spiritual powers, the upper part of the pumpkin is cut off, and the lower part is filled with water and used as a bowl in rituals.
On Halloween night, when many different evil spirits come to earth, parents who are worried that evil spirits can harm small children cut out faces from pumpkins and place them at the entrance or on the windowsills to scare away all evil things. The number of pumpkins should correspond to the number of children in the family.
Using pumpkin in cooking
Recipe. Couscous with pumpkin, cheese and spices
Ingredients: 50 g of couscous, 5 tablespoons of milk, 2-2.5 tablespoons of pumpkin puree, 20-30 g of Gouda cheese, honey, and a pinch of various spices - ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom.
Preparation: To obtain pumpkin puree, the pumpkin must be baked in the oven and then mashed. Boil the couscous for 5 minutes. Drain the water.
Add pumpkin puree, spices to the cereal, pour in milk, stir, bring to a boil, remove from heat and let simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. When serving, sprinkle the couscous with pumpkin with grated cheese and lightly drizzle with honey.
Pumpkin salads and snacks
Pumpkin salads and appetizers can be prepared for both those with a sweet tooth and those who enjoy spicy sensations. For “sweet” salads, pumpkin can be used raw ; it harmonizes with carrots, apples, nuts and honey.
Boiled or baked pumpkin is good in hearty meat salads, as well as salads with seafood. Pumpkin has a mild taste, so it goes well with spices (thyme, saffron, mint, rosemary) and oriental mixtures.
Recipe. Korean pickled pumpkin
Ingredients: 500 g pumpkin, 2 cloves garlic, 1 onion, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons Korean carrot seasoning, salt to taste.
Preparation: Peel the pumpkin and grate it on a medium grater. Chop the onion and fry in vegetable oil until golden brown. Place the onion in the bowl with the pumpkin and stir.
Add finely chopped garlic, honey, vinegar, seasoning and salt. Mix everything well, transfer to a jar and cover with a lid. Place the snack in the refrigerator for 4 hours.
Pumpkin main dishes
Pumpkin is distinguished by a particularly flexible character. It possible kitchen manipulations
As a result of culinary metamorphoses, a huge number of first and second pumpkin dishes have appeared in the world. Pumpkin boils well, so it is simply invaluable in pureed soups. In soups, pumpkin is combined with meat and poultry, mushrooms, vegetables and fruits.
However, despite the successful companions, pumpkin is self-sufficient: baked in the oven by itself, it is tasty and aromatic. But the most satisfying and hit dish is pumpkin with meat. A win-win option is to cook the meat directly in it, first removing the fibers and seeds and using the cut top and tail as a lid.
Baking with pumpkin
Winter varieties of pumpkin are especially suitable for preparing flour dishes - their flesh is denser and sweeter. Snack pies and pies with pumpkin, bread, cookies, rolls, cakes, waffles - you can add pumpkin anywhere.
And what is important: pumpkin baked goods are attractive not only in taste, but also in color ! Yellow-orange buns, biscuits and cakes can give warmth and lift your spirits during the cold season.
Recipe. Pumpkin cupcakes
Ingredients: 300 g peeled pumpkin, 250 g flour, 150 g butter, 150 g sugar, 3 eggs, 1 lemon, 2 teaspoons baking powder.
Preparation: Grate the pumpkin on a medium grater (drain off the juice). Remove the zest from the lemon and then squeeze out the juice - you will need about 50 ml of lemon juice. Grind butter with sugar, add eggs, mix. Add lemon juice and zest, stir. Add pumpkin and mix well. Add flour and baking powder, knead the dough. The dough should not be very thick. Place the batter into muffin tins (don't fill the muffin tins completely with batter). Bake in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for about 30 minutes.
Note. Ready-made cupcakes can be sprinkled with powdered sugar or coconut flakes.
Pumpkin recipe. Pumpkin tatin with orange
Ingredients: (for dough) 200 g flour, 100 g butter, 6 tablespoons cold water; (for filling) 500 g peeled pumpkin, 150 g sugar, 50 g butter, 2 tablespoons orange juice, zest of half an orange.
Preparation: Knead the dough from flour, butter and cold water, put the dough in the refrigerator for half an hour. Cut the pumpkin into pieces and sprinkle it with a mixture of 25 g of sugar and finely grated zest.
In a baking dish or frying pan that can be placed in the oven, melt the butter, sprinkle it evenly with the remaining sugar and bring until light brown (it is very important not to over-expose the sugar!).
Place the pumpkin in an even layer on the prepared caramel, pour over the orange juice and place the pan in an oven preheated to 200 degrees for 15 minutes.
At this time, roll out the dough and cover the half-finished pumpkin with it, folding the edges of the dough down. Place back in the oven and bake for another 30 minutes (the dough should be lightly browned). Let the finished pie sit for 5 minutes and then turn it out onto a plate. This must be done carefully so as not to get burned by the hot syrup.
Note. For this dish, you can also use ready-made puff pastry (250 g). You can add cinnamon or apples to the pumpkin.
Homemade pumpkin preparations
The easiest and fastest way to prepare pumpkin for future use is to freeze it. To do this, you need to peel the pumpkin, cut it into pieces and place it in plastic bags in the freezer, where it can be stored for 6 months to a year.
However, if you show culinary initiative, you can prepare delicious “winter” salads from pumpkin or preserve it in apple or sea buckthorn juice. At the same time, almost all of its beneficial properties are preserved.
In one jar, pumpkin sits perfectly alongside tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots and zucchini. By analogy with its closest relative - zucchini - caviar is made from pumpkin.
Recipe. Winter pumpkin salad with bell pepper
Ingredients: 1 kg of pumpkin, 1 liter of fresh crushed tomatoes, 500 g of sweet pepper, 200 g of carrots, 200 g of onion, 1-2 hot peppers, half a glass of vegetable oil, 100 g of sugar, 1 tablespoon of 70 percent acetic acid, 2- 2.5 tablespoons of salt.
Preparation: Fry carrots and onions in half the oil. Bring the tomato mass to a boil and cook for 20 minutes. Add onions and carrots, remaining oil, salt, sugar to the chopped tomatoes.
Add pumpkin cut into large pieces, sweet and hot peppers. Cook for another 30 minutes. At the very end of cooking, add vinegar. Pour the salad into hot sterilized jars. Roll up the jars, turn them over and wrap them until they cool completely.
Pumpkin desserts and drinks
Sweet varieties of pumpkin make very tasty candied fruits, marmalade, jam, marmalade and preserves. Moreover, such sweets can be prepared in a variety of variations, since pumpkin goes well with fruits, especially citrus fruits, and berries.
Recipe. Pumpkin jam
Ingredients: 1 kg of peeled pumpkin, 800 g of sugar, 1 orange, 1 glass of sea buckthorn.
Preparation: It is best to use mature yellow pumpkin for jam. Peel the pumpkin, remove the inner pulp, and cut into 1.5 x 1.5 cm cubes.
Peel the orange and cut it into small pieces. Wash the sea buckthorn, sort it out, and rub it through a sieve. Place pumpkin, orange and sea buckthorn in a saucepan with a thick bottom and cover with sugar.
Leave for a couple of hours, during which time the mixture should give juice. Then place the pan on low heat and cook the jam for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
The color of the jam should be amber-transparent, and the pumpkin pieces should remain intact. Pour the jam into sterilized jars and roll up.
Continuing the “sweet” theme, it’s worth remembering pumpkin drinks. Pumpkin juices, fruit drinks, compotes, decoctions, and jelly are as aromatic as they are healthy.
Recipe. Pumpkin Cinnamon Smoothie
Ingredients: 600 g unpeeled pumpkin, 3 large lemons, 1 grapefruit, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, honey to taste.
Preparation. Cut the pumpkin, remove the seeds, peel the pulp and cut into pieces. Boil the pumpkin (steamed or in water) for 10-15 minutes, then drain the water, cool the pumpkin, grind in a blender and add ground cinnamon.
Squeeze juice from lemons and grapefruit and pour into pumpkin puree. If desired, add honey to taste. Beat the mixture with a blender until a fluffy, homogeneous mass is formed. Place ice cubes in low glasses, pour in the prepared smoothie and serve immediately.
Secrets of cooking autumn dishes, recipes for Moscow sbiten, solyanka and Guryev porridge in the seminar “Autumn and winter herbs”.
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