Pumpkin Soup
A Guide to Pumpkin Seeds and Pumpkin Seed Oil
If you are using a fresh pumpkin to make pumpkin soup, do not throw away the pumpkin seeds because you can roast them! There are many health benefits of pumpkin seeds and pumpkin seed oil is also very healthy.
These seeds are flattish and oval in shape. They are light green and the hulls are white. Pumpkin seeds are used widely in Mexican recipes and they are also roasted and used as a snack or as an ingredient in other dishes, as well as for garnishes.
Marinated, roasted pumpkin seeds are a favorite in the fall in the rural United States and they are also knows as "pepitas," the Spanish word for pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin seeds have been eaten in the Americas since the time of the Aztecs, if not before.
Unhulled, lightly roasted, salted pumpkin seeds are well loved in Greece and they are known as "passatempo," which is Italian for pastime.
Are Pumpkin Seeds Good for You?
When it comes to nutrition pumpkin seeds are very healthy. They are rich in zinc and amino acids and are thought to help prevent prostate cancer. They are also good for anyone who is prone to urinary tract infections.
You can get pumpkin seeds with or without their shells. The oils in the raw seed are more vulnerable to damage from oxidization if the seeds have no shells but this type makes a good snack or ingredient for trail mix.
Pumpkin Seeds Nutrition and the Health Benefits of Pumpkin Seeds
One ounce of pumpkin seeds gives you one hundred and twenty five calories, carbohydrates and a negligible amount of fat and protein. Pumpkin seeds are cholesterol free.
If you were wondering "are pumpkin seeds fattening," the answer is no for two reasons. First of all, pumpkin seeds are usually roasted and served as a garnish on pumpkin soup, in which case you would only have a very small serving. Secondly, these seeds are healthy and relatively low in calories.
Pumpkin Seed Oil - A Gourmet Delicacy
Pumpkin seed oil is rich in vitamins A and E, zinc, Omega 3 and Omega 6. The Omegas are essential fatty acids, which are good for you, but if you heat pumpkin seed oil, the fatty acids are destroyed. This oil is made by pressing hulled, roasted pumpkin seeds. The earliest confirmed record of pumpkin seed oil comes from Styria, Slovenia and is dated February 18, 1697.
Pumpkin seed oil ranges from dark red to light green in color, depending on how thick it is. If you mix it with yogurt, the resulting mixture is bright green. Pumpkin seed oil has a rich flavor but browning it makes it bitter.
You can combine pumpkin seed oil with olive oil, cider vinegar, or honey to make a salad dressing. You can also use it for desserts. Pumpkin seed oil poured over vanilla ice cream has a beautiful nutty flavor. It is great poured over the top of a pumpkin soup recipe before you serve it, to add a touch of elegance to any pumpkin soup recipe.
The best pumpkin seed oil comes from Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, and Croatia. There is another kind of pumpkin seed oil, which is made from white seeds with shells in China. This white oil is used for cooking or as an ingredient. It is possible to make recipes for creamy pumpkin soups without pumpkin seeds or pumpkin seed oil, of course, but sometimes these ingredients finish off the recipe perfectly.
