Why cook forever when you can eat pumpkin raw? Here you can find out how best to prepare it raw and what can really happen when you eat it!
Hardly any other vegetable is as popular in autumn as the pumpkin. Part of this is probably due to the variety of varieties because the huge berry comes in a wide variety of colors, tastes and shapes on the plate.
But are pumpkins even suitable for raw eating? Are there varietal exceptions? Or are all pumpkin varieties poisonous in their raw state? This guide explains the frequently asked questions.
Can You Eat Pumpkin Raw?
Your question, can you eat raw pumpkin, is valid because they contain the bitter substance cucurbitacin. This can be toxic even in small amounts. However, this toxin was bred out of pumpkins. But, if you buy a pumpkin from the supermarket, you don’t have to worry about eating it raw.
In addition to the types of pumpkin that are intended for consumption, there are also ornamental pumpkins. As the name suggests, these are for decorative purposes only and are not edible.
And, if you eat them raw, it can quickly lead to food poisoning, which can be fatal under certain circumstances. As a rule, the decorative pumpkins are smaller than table pumpkins and also stand out due to their unusual shapes and colors.
So, you can eat pumpkins raw, but you should be careful about that. Navigate this article to find out how can you eat raw pumpkin.
Be Careful With Garden Pumpkins
It is better not to eat raw pumpkins that are harvested in your own garden. Here it may happen that more toxins in the form of cucurbitacin have formed through reverse mutations. And, this can be done very easily during pollination by bees, especially if ornamental pumpkins or zucchini grows near the pumpkin plants.
This can lead to crossbreeding, and the pumpkins become poisonous. However, such reverse mutations can also occur when using old seeds from the previous year or self-harvested seeds.
In the case of seeds from specialist shops, however, there is no risk that cucurbitacin is contained. But, it is always important that their origin is known.
Make A Taste Test
Since a reverse mutation is not so easily recognizable with the naked eye, a taste test should be made before the pumpkin from the garden is used for eating, especially when raw. And, the procedure is as follows
- First of all, put the raw pumpkin in your mouth
- Then, check its taste
- And, do not swallow the piece
- Spit it out again after rehearsal
In case, if there is a bitter taste, then the pumpkin usually contains the harmful bitter substances cucurbitacin. However, its bitter taste would decrease when you cook them, but the toxins are still there. Thus, there is nothing else left to do, so the pumpkin must be disposed of on the compost heap.
Note:
Such backcrosses are also possible with other cucurbits such as zucchini. So, these are then no longer edible.
Symptoms of Poisoning After Eating Raw Pumpkins
In case of severe poisoning after eating raw pumpkins, you must consult the doctor immediately. Here are some poisoning symptoms that are common in individuals when they consume pumpkins raw.
- Nausea and vomiting
- Colic
- Diarrhea
- Racing heart
- A headache
- Sometimes, profuse salivation
- And, irritations of the mucous membranes
Note:
Mostly, in sensitive people, eating a poisonous pumpkin raw can even lead to death. Usually, children and animals are particularly affected.
What To Do If Poisoning Is Suspected
When in doubt, it is always advisable to consult a doctor. Especially if children complain of the above symptoms or if the owner notices strange behavior on their part, a visit to the doctor can save their lives. As, medical professionals know best what to do in the event of poisoning.
Why Should I Eat Pumpkin Raw?
There are numerous reasons for which you should eat raw pumpkins. Raw pumpkin is healthy. In general, raw food is much richer in nutrients and vitamins than conventional “hot meals”.
As we all know, heat-sensitive vitamins, enzymes and secondary plant substances remain in raw food and are happily absorbed and processed by our body.
In terms of ingredients, pumpkin contains plenty of beta-carotene and vitamin A, similar to carrots. And, their red-orange color already indicates this.
And, in terms of minerals, it contains potassium, calcium and magnesium. This makes the pumpkin an extremely basic dish. Moreover, if you want to pay attention to your acid-base balance, you are welcome to try your pumpkin raw.
How Can You Eat Pumpkin Raw?
After the warning, however, we come to the delicious part of eating raw pumpkin. And, there are numerous raw food recipes with the pumpkin that you should definitely try, even if you are not a raw foodist.
Generally, the nutmeg pumpkin is particularly popular in the raw food kitchen because of its distinctive taste, but you can also prepare any other pumpkin raw.
We have collected the most common raw food recipes with pumpkin for you, which are given below:
1. Pumpkin Salad
Raw pumpkin salad is not only a classic recipe of raw pumpkins but also the best way to utilize them raw. And, to do this, the pulp is cut or sliced into wafer-thin strips and marinated in a spicy way. Alternatively, you can finely grate the pumpkin similar to the carrot salad and dress it with a delicious dressing.
2. Raw Bread From Pumpkin
If you have a dehydrator, you can prepare raw bread from pumpkin. For this, the raw pumpkin is processed into mush. After that, mix it with kernels and nuts and applied thinly to a drying mat and placed it in the dehydrator.
3. Raw Pumpkin Hummus
Part of the pumpkin could be put on one side and made into a spread. Seasoned spicy, this is a really great raw food recipe. Likewise, its best example is raw pumpkin hummus, and it works exactly like the original hummus recipe, only with raw pumpkin instead of chickpeas.
4. Morning Smoothie
Of course, you can also add raw pumpkin to your morning smoothie with a little banana or pear. Soft pumpkins tend to be more suitable for smoothies than hard ones.
5. Welcome To Juice Pumpkin
You are also welcome to juice pumpkin. As drinking fresh juice is one of the easiest ways to take in plenty of healthy nutrients. You can either drink your pumpkin juice straight, or mix it with some homemade apple juice and fresh carrot juice.
6. Raw Pumpkin Soup
Furthermore, you can also prepare a raw pumpkin soup for the autumn season. And, for this, put the pumpkin in the blender with a little avocado, carrot and intense spices. Blend it fully, and the raw pumpkin soup is ready.
So, if you want to eat pumpkin raw, now you have enough ideas. Additionally, there are certainly many other recipes, just browse the internet a little, and find what you are looking for.
Raw Edible Pumpkin Varieties
Below is a shortlist of pumpkin varieties that are also delicious to eat raw.
1. Blanche Of Egypt
- It is hard in appearance with a thin shell
- Its color is almost white
- Yellow, firm pulp
- Interestingly, its shelf life is up to 6 months
- Moreover, it goes great in salads
2. Buttercup
- Green, hard shell
- Having orange pulp
- And, it is creamy and tender, like butter
- In addition, it has a sweetish taste
3. Butternut, “butternut”
- Pear-shaped
- Thin, beige-colored shell
- A lot of meat with few seeds
- Cores in the bulbous end
- Moreover, it is soft, orange-colored flesh
- And, have a sweetish-creamy taste with a slight hint of butter
- Moreover, its shelf life is up to 6 months
4. Chestnut
- It is an old variety
- Weight 800 to 1000 g
- Grey-green, thin, dense skin
- Yellow to orange, fine-grained, thick flesh
- Additionally, it is slightly sweet in taste
5. Delicata
- Lower shape of the spaghetti squash
- Elongated shape
- Yellow skin with wide green stripes
- And, yellow to orange pulp
- Slightly sweet taste
- Also nutty aromas similar to the chestnuts
- Furthermore, its storage is up to 3 months
6. Eightball
- Spherical shape
- Size of a billiard ball
- Weight maximum 1 kg
- Dark green, thin skin with orange spots
- Also, having white, tender meat
- And, its storage is up to 2 to 3 months
7. Fairy
- Musk gourd
- Soft, dark green shell with light stripes or dots
- Round shape
- And, easy to peel
- Up to 1.5 kg in weight
- Thick, firm, bright orange flesh
- Amazingly sweet and fruity in taste
- Its storage is up to 5 to 8 months
8. Festival
- Thin, hard shell
- Orange with green stripes
- Slightly orange to bright yellow pulp
- Crisp
- Up to 1 kg in weight
- Also having nutty-sweet aroma of chestnuts
- And, its storage is up to 6 months
9. Heart Of Gold
- Hard, green and white striped shell
- Cream-colored to yellow, dense, slightly fibrous flesh
- Also having sweetish taste of hazelnut
- Additionally, its storage is up to 3 months
10. Hokkaido
- Broad, rounded shape
- 1 to 3 kg in weight
- Bright orange peel
- Bowl edible
- Orange-yellow pulp
- But, firm and low in fibers
- Also having nutty taste
- And, its storage is up to 6 months
11. Lokate Indian pumpkin
- Broad round shape
- Orange-red, thick, hard skin
- The shell is crisscrossed
- Yellow-orange pulp
- Moreover, thick, fine-grained, and crunchy
- And, having nutty taste, also fruity like melon
12. Mandarin
- Mini pumpkin
- Diameter 10 to 12 cm
- Weight a few hundred grams
- Orange-colored shell with a ribbed structure
- Also, bowl edible
- Light yellow to orange pulp
- Fruity-sweet, slightly nutty taste
13. Nutmeg pumpkin, “Muscade de Provence”
- Flat round shape
- Dark green to light brown, ribbed skin
- Up to 30 kg
- Firm, orange-red flesh
- Additionally, it has few kernels
- But, slightly sour taste with aroma of chestnuts and hazelnuts
14. Papaw
- Old variety
- Conical shape, similar to papaya
- Diameter 13 to 15 cm, length 20 to 23 cm
- Weight up to 2.5 kg
- But, very thin, yellow skin with cream-colored spots
- Firm, bright orange pulp
- But, slightly sweet in taste
15. Patisson
- Old variety
- Diameter 10 to 25 cm
- White, green, yellow or two-colored fruits
- Zucchini and artichoke taste
- Young fruits with edible peel
- The smaller the fruit, the sweeter
16. Red hundredweight, rouge vif d’Etampes
- 5 to 10 kg in weight
- Diameter 20 to 30 cm
- Flat round shape
- Light red shell
- Also, fibrous, orange-colored flesh
- And, slightly sweet to nutty taste
- Moreover, good carved pumpkin
17. Spaghetti Squash
- Look similar to a pale honeydew melon
- Up to 2 kg in weight
- Light yellow flesh with long fibers
- But, very mild nutty taste
18. Sweet Dumpling
- Weight 300 to 600 g
- White to orange peel with multicolored stripes
- Stripes mostly green, orange or yellow
- But, firm, tender, white meat
- And, slightly sweet, chestnut-like taste
19. Tondo Chiaro di Nice
- Italian variety
- Light green shell
- But, having tender white meat
- Harvest the size of an apple
- Also, having zucchini flavor
- Young specimens raw in salads
Final Words About Can You Eat Raw Pumpkins
Definitely yes. You can eat pumpkins raw, and no doubt, it is great fun to eat them raw. And, in this article, I also mention various ways to enjoy raw pumpkins. There are also some risks for eating raw pumpkins, but you can eat them if you have enough knowledge about their facts.
Anyone who eats pumpkin raw is also getting the maximum amount of vitamins, minerals and other important ingredients. It is nutritious and healthy, and when properly prepared, it is absolutely luscious.