Pumpkins Are For Eating

A curious practice of modern American culture is to celebrate the autumnal holidays by placing out harvest-themed decorations.  This callback to more pastoral times encourages us to put pumpkins, gourds, and squashes on our stoops, bails of hay and cornstalks in our front yard, and berry-laden wreaths on our doors.

The irony is that, traditionally, we celebrate like this as a way of giving thanks for a bountiful harvest season.  Yet, instead of preparing, drying, and storing all of these nutritious food items as our ancestors would have, we leave them out front to decay — except for those yummy pumpkin seeds, of course.

While Americans tend to view to pumpkin as an item for decoration, many cultures around the world see it as a valuable addition to the fall menu, without limiting it to a dessert course (did someone say pie?).

While living in Turkey as an exchange student, I picked up quite a liking for pumpkin, which the Turks call balkabağı, or honey squash.  One of my favorite ways to enjoy pumpkin is as a soup.  While this recipe does not include it, some people like to add a bit of cumin to bring out a more savory taste, or cinnamon to enhance the pumpkin flavor.  And not that the “honey squash” needs any more sweetness, but some also add a touch of honey.

Let’s get cooking!

Turkish Pumpkin Soup Recipe

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb of pumpkin (diced in medium-sized cubes)
3.5 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion (cut into four pieces)
4 garlic cloves
water
2 tbsp. strained yogurt
2 tbsp. butter
red pepper flakes
salt and black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a deep saucepan. Add the pumpkin, onions, and garlic. Cook for five minutes. Cover the ingredients with water and cook on low heat until the pumpkin pieces soften. Remove from heat and puree.

Add the yogurt, salt, and black pepper. Put it on the burner and cook on low heat.

In another small saucepan, cook the butter and red pepper flakes. Add the butter mixture into the soup and stir.

Take the soup off the heat. Sprinkle with pistachio and parsley for a classic Turkish garnish.

Serve hot.

PS, if you do decide to carve up a few pumpkins to make jack-o-lanterns, or to harvest those delicious seeds, remember to look up local animal rescues in your area.  Many animals enjoy pumpkin as much as I do, and the donation of your extra squashes can help the rescue association by decreasing their food bill.

Remember, kids, a big part of self-sufficiency is minimizing waste and supporting nature conservancy!