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Pumpkin flower

Fried in batter or stuffed? Pumpkin flower, a deliciousness that must be eaten right away!

Origin

The pumpkin flower has the shape of a goblet and grows on pumpkin and zucchini plants, it belongs to the Cucurbitacee family and it is originally from Latin America. Entirely edible, the pumpkin flower can be male or female: the first grows with a long trunk and it is sold by the bunch and the second is smaller, attached to the extremity of the vegetable. During the harvesting period, from May till the end of the summer, the male ones are the one that are sold the most. The female type interrupts the growth of the vegetable, ruining the yield.

Cookit

The king of the regional cuisine in Italy, the pumpkin flower with its delicate taste and vivid color is very versatile: perfect to make pasta, risotto, soups and pies and stuffed in the oven. Fried “alla romana” they are irresistible, stuffed with provatura and anchovies! Or the calabrese ones, called sciuriddi, with the batter made of flour, eggs, parsley and peppery pecorino cheese. They are fresh when their color is bright green and the leaves are strong and with no traces of black!

Did you know

Besides its elegant and elongated shape, the pumpkin flower is a traditional symbol for clumsiness, because of the messy position it has while growing on the plant. Another meaning is shortness: the flower, once is picked, has just 1-2 days of life and if it is not eaten it can perish.

Variety

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