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The homeland of pumpkins is India and the Mediterranean. They were known five to three thousand years before our era. Meat was used for food, but carved and dried bark was used as a dish.
Pumpkins have been known in Latvia for a long time, although only one variety was available at the time. Pumpkins didn’t taste great, but they were found on almost every farm. Currently, there are more than one hundred different pumpkin varieties in Latvia, which differ from each other in terms of taste, shape, size and color. Pumpkins ripen from mid-August to late September and early October, depending on the variety.
Pumpkin can be used to prepare a variety of dishes: salads, puree soups, pastries, stews and pancakes. In cooking, pumpkin pulp seeds are used, but pumpkin seed oil is used, for example, in salads.
For a fine pumpkin
Meat
According to the USDA National Nutrient Database, 100 grams of pumpkin, cooked, fresh or dried, contains approximately:
- 23 kilocalories;
- 8.5 grams of protein;
- 0.085 grams of fat (without cholesterol);
- 6 grams of carbohydrates, of which 1.3 grams of fiber and 2.5 grams of natural sugar.
Potassium, copper and iron can be extracted from minerals. However, most large berries contain beta (β) carotene, which is known as a powerful antioxidant and immune enhancer, so it is recommended to use pumpkin to avoid some types of oncological and cardiovascular diseases. The more orange the pumpkin pulp, the more antioxidants it contains and is therefore more valuable.
Eating 200 grams of pumpkin per day can absorb 20% of the daily intake of vitamin C, 10% of the required amount of vitamin E, potassium and magnesium, as well as at least 5% of the required vitamin B6, folic acid, iron, magnesium and phosphorus.
Pumpkin contains 90% water and almost no fat, so it is used in various diets and is recommended for heart patients. Since pumpkin is high in fiber, it improves digestion.
“Pumpkins marinated with cinnamon and cloves are not bad, but eating them is worth a little attention, especially if you want to lose weight, because pickled pumpkins or pumpkin candies have added sugar. Fresh, stuffed or cooked pumpkin. baked can be eaten safely, ”says VCA nutritionist Anita Baumane.
Seeds
Pumpkin seeds are rich in oil, they also contain proteins, carotenoids, vitamin E, they contain minerals: sodium, phosphorus, iron and above all a lot of zinc. Zinc participates in many biochemical reactions in the body, is part of various enzymes and insulin. Zinc stabilizes the structure of proteins, participates in immunological processes, is necessary for hormonal synthesis.
Pumpkin seeds contain cucurbitin and phytosterols, which help reduce blood cholesterol. Roasted pumpkin seeds will be a healthy addition to your daily diet, but keep in mind that 100 grams of pumpkin seeds contain around 550 calories.
The hard shell of pumpkin seeds also contains lignans – phytoestrogens (substances that have an effect similar to the natural hormone estrogen). A Cambridge Department of Health laboratory study found pumpkin seeds contained 539 µg / 100 g of phytoestrogens.
The beneficial effects of phytoestrogens have been studied in hormone-dependent cancers, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, menopausal symptoms, obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Oil
Oils are high calorie products, but small amounts of pumpkin seed oil are important for health and have long been used as a health elixir for the prevention of various diseases. In recent years, nutritional and pharmacological studies of the University of Perugia (Italy) have confirmed the antibacterial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of pumpkin seed oil, as well as its health benefits, including hypertension, diabetes and cancer.
Pumpkin seed oil consists mainly of polyunsaturated fatty acids: on average 51% linoleic acid (ω-6) and 3% alpha-linolenic acid (ω-3), which has a beneficial effect on health cardiovascular, helps maintain healthy blood pressure and strong immunity. Pumpkin seed oil has a beneficial effect on the liver, bile duct, gastrointestinal function. Contains selenium and vitamin E, which are powerful antioxidants. It is worth remembering that pumpkin seed oil is not suitable for frying, because when it loses its nutritional value, the double bonds of unsaturated fatty acids turn into free radicals that are harmful to health under the influence of heat.
In one study, more than 2,000 men suffered from benign prostatic hypertrophy. The study authors found that taking 500-1000 mg of pumpkin seed oil in capsules daily for 12 weeks reduced prostate symptoms by 41.4%, and over 96% of patients had an improvement. significant of bladder dysfunction.
Varieties of pumpkin and their use in cooking
One pumpkin is more suitable for fresh food, another will be prepared for making soups or purees, another for squeezing juices. The pumpkin family will include about a hundred genera with more than a thousand plants and differ in color and shape. Shoppers in supermarkets all over Latvia can buy different varieties of squash: both traditional orange squash and less ordinary nuts, as well as nutmeg and other different squash varieties. Baumane requires research on some of them.
Sviesta ķirbim (Butternut) has a pronounced pumpkin taste and smell. Buttered squash is most often used for canning, sweetly prepared with cloves and quince, but sugar is added during canning, so you shouldn’t get too excited about this product.
Fresh buttered pumpkin can be grated and added to salads with carrots, apples, cabbage, cranberries. Buttered butternut squash handles excellent purees and soups. Sliced pumpkin, sprinkled with spices and deep fried, is a good alternative to fried potatoes.
Muskatķirbim (Moschata) no typical pumpkin flavor. These pumpkins are very juicy, so nutmeg is best used for squeezing juice, making fresh salads, or canning.
Spageti ķirbis. Relatively long pumpkin fibers are obtained from it, reminiscent of spaghetti. The squash is cut in half lengthwise, the seeds are removed, baked and then the fibrous spaghetti is removed from the skin. They are usually served with tomato or gravy. Keep in mind that the squash shouldn’t be overcooked, so the fibers break.
Riekstu ķirbis it tastes better fresh, but it will also be good for making puree. It happens bright yellow, it is not watery, it is pleasantly creamy – an ideal addition to meat and fish dishes. The special advantage of the nut squash is that it is easy to cut.
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