Here in the United States, we eat pumpkin mainly as a dessert or snack. We roast and salt the seeds for munching. We bake the cooked meat into pies, cookies, breads and cakes. And, of course, we celebrate Halloween!
But what do people and kids in other countries like about pumpkins? Here are a few ideas sent by folks around the world to The Pumpkin Nook, along with some of my own observations.
- Pumpkins in New Zealand: Kiwis (people who live in New Zealand) eat pumpkins mostly with a main course meal. They eat pumpkins boiled, made into pie, as a soup or just roasted. Pumpkins are mainly available only around the autumn and winter seasons. Trick-or-treating is not really a big thing, so Kiwis carve pumpkins really for the joy of carving Jack-o-Lanterns. However, over the last five years, more kids are trick-or-treating each autumn.
- Pumpkins in Australia: Roast butternut pumpkin is the absolute favorite of most Australians. It is part of the main course meal, and very rarely used in sweets. How do you roast pumpkin for a meal? This is very easy. Place pieces of skinned pumpkin in meat juices with potatoes, carrot, and other vegetables while roasting a piece of lamb, beef, turkey, or chicken.
- Pumpkins in Belgium: In Flemish Belgium (the northern part of Belgium where people speak Dutch), people grow pumpkins, squashes and gourds for a challenge. A few towns organize contests to see who can grow the largest pumpkins. Other people use pumpkins for decorations. Halloween celebrations are not common, like they are in the U.S. Some people decorate pumpkins, inspired by the celebrations in Irish pubs, around October and November.
- Pumpkins in England: Massive pumpkin fests or fairs are not as popular in this country as in the U.S. and Canada. Halloween and trick-or-treating are just starting to be popular and receive more publicity each year. The supermarkets sell small pumpkins complete with a carving kit and decorating stencils. Some pubs (casual taverns and eating-places) and restaurants sponsor Halloween parties. Local gardeners may supply pubs and restaurants with two- to three-hundred pound pumpkins or squash for Guess The Weight money raisers.
- Pumpkins in Germany: Growing pumpkins has a long, but nearly forgotten history. Pumpkin soup or compote (pumpkin pieces cooked with vinegar, cinnamon, and sugar) are traditional. Pumpkins, together with turnips, were poor man's food. They were very important and popular in times of hunger, during wars or crop failures. Today, pumpkins are a less important part of good German home cooking.
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