A carved pumpkin with a lit candle inside is an essential part of Halloween celebrations. If you decide to make your own spooky lantern, definitely don’t throw away the pulp! This vegetable is also very healthy and you can create delicious sweet and savory dishes from it. It is rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants, yet it has very few calories. Pumpkins are therefore suitable not only for weight loss diets and detoxification but also have a beneficial effect on our heart, skin, digestion, and kidneys.
Which pumpkin to choose for the kitchen
At markets or in stores, we find a wide variety of pumpkins. So how do you choose the right one? You will most likely come across the bright orange Hokkaido pumpkin. One of its greatest advantages is that you don’t have to peel it – the skin softens beautifully when baking or cooking. So before using it, just wash it thoroughly and scrub it with a brush. Interestingly, this type of pumpkin can also be eaten raw. However, if you decide to cook it, you have countless options – it can be boiled, fried, grilled, or baked.
The second very common variety is the elongated spaghetti squash. Although it does not originate from Italy but from the USA, it probably owes its name to the fact that it falls apart into strands resembling spaghetti after cooking. You can cook it whole, but it’s better to pierce it in several places or bake it in the oven. It is a great substitute for pasta and is also excellent in soups or salads.
Other popular types include the muscat and butternut squash. The muscat pumpkin has a strong aroma and flavor, and its bright orange color gives dishes an exotic touch. It is suitable for soup, compotes, or oriental dishes. The butternut squash is relatively soft and quick to prepare. You can make all kinds of sweets and savory dishes from it. Moreover, it is very economical due to its pear-like shape, containing a lot of pulp. And did you know that even the pumpkins that decorate our window sills are edible? However, they have little pulp, and preparing them is so much work that we prefer to be content with their decorative role. Whatever variety you choose, it is important to select a sufficiently ripe pumpkin. You can tell it’s ripe if it feels rather heavy and sounds hollow when tapped.
Pumpkin as a symbol of Halloween
Interestingly, the pumpkin became a symbol of Halloween only in the 19th century in America, where this holiday came from Europe. It replaced the traditional turnip or beet because pumpkins were much easier to carve into lanterns. And do you know why a carved pumpkin is called a jack-o’-lantern in English? This name was given based on the legend of Jack, who supposedly outwitted the devil himself. He managed to get a promise from him that he would never take his soul. However, because Jack was a trickster and a drunkard, he didn’t get into heaven after his death, and he wasn’t accepted in hell due to the cunning agreement. Satan, however, gave him a glowing coal so he could light his way in eternal darkness. According to legend, Jack carries it in a carved turnip, which was previously used to make Halloween lanterns.
Make your own lantern
If you plan to make your own spooky lantern this year, go for a Hokkaido pumpkin. And how do you make such a lantern at home? First, it’s important to ensure the stability of the pumpkin – if it wobbles a lot, slightly trim it at the bottom. Then, use a marker to sketch the face you want to carve on the pumpkin. With a shorter sharp knife, cut off the lid at the top of the pumpkin near the stem (it’s better to make the opening slanted so it doesn’t fall inside) and scoop out the pulp with a spoon. Finally, just carve out the drawn face and insert a lit candle. And if you want to keep the pumpkin for the next year, try drying it on a radiator. Over time, it will shrivel and create a twisted shape that perfectly complements the spooky atmosphere of Halloween.
