Everything revolves around pumpkin at the moment, be it the ornamental pumpkin for autumn decorations or the edible varieties that are now finally being harvested and processed into delicious dishes. But if you want to prepare pumpkin for the first time or have always relied on the same type of pumpkin and now want to try something new, you may be wondering which ones actually need to be peeled and which ones don't. This is especially true for butternut squash, which is one of the most popular. Do you have to peel a butternut squash? We answer this question and list the most common pumpkins so that you can get an overview of which pumpkin you should peel and which ones are unnecessary.
Varieties that require peeling
First of all, it should be said that theoretically you can eat any pumpkin peel. They are in no way toxic or harmful. The reason why you don't use them with some types of pumpkin and why you should peel the pumpkin is simply that they are quite hard and therefore take longer to cookor bakingto become soft – longer than the pulp. The result would be that the pulp would possibly be overcooked by then.
Should you peel the nutmeg squash?
These pumpkins with their impressive sizes have a fairly thick shell that is also hard, which of course also increases the cooking time. For this reason, in most cases it is advisable to remove the peel, especially if it is a dish that is prepared quickly (e.g. fried food).
Other types of pumpkin whose peel is not eaten
- Baby Bear, a small variety that is peeled
- Bishop's hat, best suited for stuffing as the pulp is difficult to separate from the peel (due to the shape)
- Buttercup, hard shell that is easier to remove, but can be quite difficult; Alternatively, use the pumpkin for filling
- Yellow hundredweight, very hard shell that takes a long time to cook - so peel the pumpkin
- Gorgonzolakürbis, pulp is reminiscent of sweet potato, the peel is not edible, but can be used for filling and as a bowl
- Giant hundredweight, weighing up to 50 kilos and often used for carving at Halloween, with a hard shell
- French berry, thin but hard peel that can be removed with a potato peeler
Which pumpkin doesn't need to be peeled?
Which pumpkin can you eat with the peel on? Varieties that have a very thin peel can, but do not have to, be peeled. It becomes soft quickly enough and is then easy to eat. Such varieties are:
Can you eat Hokkaido pumpkin with the peel on?
One of the most popular pumpkin varieties in Germany is the Hokkaido with its spherical shape and orange color. But can you cook Hokkaido pumpkin with the peel on? As for the Hokkaido pumpkin peel, feel free to leave it on, no matter how exactly you want to prepare it. This not only has the advantage of faster and less laborious preparation. The peel also ensures that the dishes or the pumpkin pulp itself become much more aromatic.
But as we all know, exceptions prove the rule.For recipes, where the Hokkaido pumpkin has to be grated (e.g. for buffers), you should peel the pumpkin. The reason is that these delicacies are only fried for a very short time, otherwise they will burn. The pulp will cook easily, but the pumpkin peel may not.
Do you have to peel a butternut squash
Can you eat butternut squash peel? This is definitely one of the most common questions people ask themselves in the fall. And the answer here is “yes”.
Whether youPeeling butternut squash or not depends on the method of preparation.If you only fry the vegetables briefly as an ingredient (e.g. in pancakes like in Hokkaido), the butternut pumpkin must be peeled. Because the peel is harder than Hokkaido pumpkin and therefore takes longer to become soft. But this is not a problem for soups or other cooking dishes. When roasting in the oven, the baking time is important. For example, if you just spoon out the pulp afterwards, you don't have to go to the troubleButternut squashRemove peel. Here you can also follow the instructions in the recipe.
How do you peel the pumpkin?
The shell of the butternut squash (also: butternut squash) is hard, but quite thin. You can use a simple potato peeler when peeling the squash for this reason.
Other types of pumpkin whose peel is also processed
- Carnival Pumpkin, peel is edible and the vegetables are often stuffed or fried
- Langer from Naples, soft shell, which is also very easy to peel
- Musk squash, the longer the storage time, the more intense the aroma
- Pattison, very small variety that can also be eaten raw
- Spaghettikürbiscook it whole without peeling or cutting (but be sure to pierce the shell); then cut in half and remove the spaghetti-like flesh
- Sweet Dumpling, also edible raw
- Sweet Mama Pumpkin(Kabocha squash/Tsurunashi yakko), small and soft-skinned; It is best to remove the pulp and use it for frying and use the shell for filling and baking
Peel pumpkin – Do you have to throw away the peel?
Not at all. As already mentioned, all pumpkin peels of the edible varieties are also edible. So after you peel a pumpkin, feel free to further process the peels by simply using them for longer cooking sessions. Prepare a vegetable soup or boil it until soft and then turn it into a vegetable stir-fry. Or you can cook the peel separately and addthe planned courtwith the pulp only then added.
