Chic African Culture Africa Factbook

Two Ways to Cook Pumpkins Roasted and Toasted

Fresh sugar pumpkins and pumpkin seeds are popular African recipe ingredients. Pumpkins are a gourd growing on vines popular in Uganda and South Africa.


Pumpkins are one of the most popular fruits in Africa used in countless African food recipes. Pumpkins are a fruit botanically despite most people considering pumpkins a vegetable. They are eaten many different African food recipes used in stews, side dishes, and baking. 

The taste is slightly sweet when ripe and bitter when green however all pumpkins are a good source of beta-carotene. The African pumpkin weighs between 5 and 50 pounds in many different oval shapes. 

The rind varies in color from light to dark green when immature and light orange to beige when mature, and can be smooth or rough with the flesh orange in color when mature.

Pumpkins are a popular African food recipe so let's make roasted fresh pumpkins and toasted pumpkin seeds.

Roasted African Pumpkin Recipe

Roasted African Pumpkin Recipe


Ingredients
2 pounds fresh sugar pumpkins cut into bite size pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 475°F. Seed and peel pumpkin then cut into 3-inch medium pieces. Toss with oil and seasonings; place in large shallow heavy baking pans, spreading in 1 layer. Roast pumpkin turning over halfway through cooking, until tender and starting to caramelize, 35 to 45 minutes.


What is a pumpkin.

Pumpkins are a gourd fruit that grows on vines particularly popular in Uganda and South Africa where pumpkins grow naturally well in rich African soil. 

In South Africa pumpkins are produced on a large scale in the Mpumalanga Highveld and Lowveld; Vryburg in North West; Western Cape and Vereeniging in Gauteng areas. 

Pumpkins can be stored for a period of 1 month to 3 months. Fresh pumpkin leaves are used as vegetables in many African food dishes, the same way as spinach as well as pumpkin seeds can be roasted and eaten as a snack. Here is the perfect recipe for pumpkin seeds.


African Street Food Recipe Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Recipe Toasted Pumpkin Seeds 


Ingredients
1 cup unshelled pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon palm oil or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt

Directions
Boil pumpkin seeds for 8-10 minutes in salted water. Add oil to heated frying pan, drain seeds and lightly toast. Serve as a snack. 

Cooking African food recipes utilizes the entire pumpkin plant; pumpkin leaves, seeds, and the pumpkin itself  to make for delicious clean eating.


Want more recipes from the African continent that use vegetables, rice and simple grilled chicken as ingredients? Check this out in our African food recipes section.

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