Autumn beauty is one of the oldest cultures, which invariably continues to be in demand in the economy. Sometimes underestimated and forgotten, pumpkin is considered almost the most useful food product. It is a whole storehouse of medicinal raw materials, which not every fruit, berry or vegetable can boast of. Not without reason in the legends and traditions of some Eastern peoples, pumpkin was considered a symbol of the resurrection from the kingdom of the dead.
As it turned out, in this gift of nature everything has value: pulp, seeds, peel and even tail. What pumpkin is and what benefits it brings to the human body will be discussed in this article.
Outlandish berry
Pumpkin is a gourd, consisting in kinship with watermelon, melon and zucchini. The fruit of the plant is a false multi-seeded berry (pumpkin), which inside has a flesh, and on the outside a hard peel. Pumpkin depending on the variety can be of different colors (orange, brick, yellow), size and shape (round, pear-shaped, serpentine). The diameter of the large-fruited species often reaches one meter, and the weight can reach 100 or more kilograms. Due to its unpretentiousness to environmental conditions, pumpkin managed to conquer almost all continents and become part of the national dishes of many nations.
Pumpkin has established itself as an extremely useful and practical plant. Its ripe fruits are successfully used both medicinally and in gastronomic. It is known that pumpkin is a versatile product that can be prepared in various variations. It combines wonderfully with almost all ingredients and spices and is quite appropriate for a festive table, as well as for ordinary everyday life.
Pumpkin spread
The meaning and benefits of pumpkin have been known since ancient times. Fragments of archaeological excavations narrate that mankind used it long before our era, about 5-7 thousand years ago. Anthropologists have discovered pumpkin seeds in the burials of the Peruvian Indians. Residents of ancient empires, Greece and Rome, from dried fruits made vessels for liquids. In the state of the Incas, her taste was highly appreciated and regularly added to various dishes. In the Celestial Kingdom, it served as an excellent material for the manufacture of festive and ritual bowls.
It is generally accepted that pumpkin began its journey from Central and South America, but the expedition of Academician N. I. Vavilov casts doubt on this fact. In 1926, researchers discovered wild small-fruited pumpkin in northern Africa. There are suggestions that it was originally from the Holy Land, since references to it are found in the Old Testament of the Bible.
In the Russian state, pumpkin appeared only in the 16th century. In all likelihood, it was delivered by Persian merchants to Derbent and Astrakhan along with the rest of the goods.
The origin of the word "pumpkin"
In Russia, the word "pumpkin" usually means the species Cucurbita pepo (common pumpkin), which is widely distributed in the state and cultivated as a food and feed plant. Pumpkin has no generally accepted etymology. Most likely, the lexeme was borrowed from the Pelasgian-Thracian language and goes back to the Indo-European, where the meaning of the word “pumpkin” (tūkū) is “chubby fruit”.
In common Slavic vocabulary, the original tyky - tūkū (tyki) was changed into a pumpkin and meant to get fat. There are speculations that the word is primordially Old Slavonic, derived from the basis of "fat." The least likely version is that the token comes from the Greek sikuos ("cucumber").
Types of pumpkin
To date, the pumpkin family is represented by more than two dozen species (16 wild and 5 cultivated), which have a variety of configurations and shades. In addition to vivid external data, they differ from each other by the shape of the edge of the lower sheet, female and male flowers, seeds and the nature of the stalk. So exceptional varieties are found that visually it is not immediately possible to understand that it is a pumpkin. In Russia, of the five cultivated species, only three are cultivated: nutmeg, large-fruited and hard-bred. Recently, the popularity of decorative pumpkins has begun to grow.
Muscat pumpkin is an oblong fruit with a tan color, on which green longitudinal stripes are often present. Unlike other types, it has a thin skin and is more demanding on temperature. Its varieties are represented by the following subspecies: Indian, North American, Japanese, Colombian, Mexican and Turkmen. The latter is grown in the southern regions of Russia. Nutmeg pumpkin is recognized as the most delicious and nutritious.
Large-fruited pumpkin is one of the cold-resistant species, which is characterized by a high dry matter content. Large fruits reach a weight of more than 100 kilograms and manage to maintain their consumer qualities for 9 months. The species is divided into 4 subspecies: old-world, American, long-braided and Chinese. The culture is cultivated in many regions of Russia, some varieties are grown in the northern regions.
Hard-barked pumpkin is a universally recognized favorite of gardeners and gardeners and is widespread. Small fruits have an early ripening, in contrast to large-fruited, which are harvested just before the frost. Varieties of hard-barked pumpkins are represented by subspecies: wild-growing, decorative, short-climbing and long-climbing.
Taste qualities
Pumpkin has a fresh strong aroma in which you can hear the distant notes of cucumber or melon. Depending on the variety, the degree of sweetness of the fruit varies, from which you can make excellent vitamin juice. The benefits of pumpkin are not only in its healing composition. Everything else, it is considered a real find for the cook. It is boiled, stewed, baked and smoked, added to soups, salads, snacks and desserts. As mentioned earlier, the fragrant beauty goes well with many products, and can also act as a completely independent dish.
Nutmeg pumpkin has sugar fruits and is considered the undisputed leader in taste. Most often, they prefer to use it in dessert dishes. Large-fruited pumpkin does not lag behind it in its positions. Its flesh is sweet, juicy and, depending on the variety, can be of different densities. Hard-boiled pumpkins are only slightly inferior in their qualities, but at the same time they contain very tasty seeds.
The value of pumpkins for humans
Even at the dawn of civilization, the sun berry was in demand for the treatment of many human ailments. The rich vitamin composition, trace elements, proteins and fiber made it a real pharmacy.
The effect of pumpkin on the body:
- increase immunity;
- positive effect on the central nervous system;
- treatment of cardiovascular diseases;
- splitting and withdrawal of stones;
- the removal of excess fluid, salts, and radionuclides from the body;
- digestion improvement;
- gastrointestinal tract treatment;
- positive effect on the functioning of the kidneys and bladder.
But, despite such an extensive list of medicinal qualities and benefits for the body, pumpkin harm can also be. As it turned out, the use of this fruit is not beneficial for everyone. It is not recommended to use pumpkin for people who are especially sensitive to dietary fiber, with intestinal colic and impaired acid-base balance. In its raw form, it is also contraindicated in case of high blood sugar.
Pumpkin festivals and holidays
In early autumn, when crops are harvested everywhere, pumpkins are a symbol of numerous festivals and festivals. With their participation, thematic exhibitions are held, where whole stories and gigantic compositions are laid out. Especially such celebrations are popular in the countries of Central Europe and America.
On a pumpkin festival, farmers gather at local fairs, selling and displaying the best fruits of the new crop. Recognized hostesses compete and give master classes in cooking various dishes and desserts. And craftsmen do not cease to amaze with their works. In a painted masterpiece, people can hardly recognize that it is a pumpkin.
Curious facts
- In ancient times, pumpkin seeds were actively used in love potions, women believed that they repeatedly enhance male sexuality.
- There were times when the Slavic peoples believed that pumpkin is feed for pigs and nothing else.
- Pumpkin is a very effective elixir of youth. Its regular use inhibits the aging process of the body and gives a rejuvenating effect.
- In the old Ukrainian custom of matchmaking, pumpkin was a direct participant. If the bridegroom was not in the court, they handed her to her and sent her home.
- Tribes of the North American Indians used ripe pumpkin for hairdressing purposes. They put a part of the fruit cut in half on the head and, following its shape, cut off everything unnecessary. The bearers of such a haircut were called "pumpkin heads."
- Belgian Matthias Willemines in 2016 managed to grow the world's largest pumpkin - 1190 kilograms.