The story about why we carve pumpkins on Halloween is well known. An Irish myth that tells us about when Stingy Jack tricked the Devil. When Jack died, God wouldn’t allow him into heaven, nor the Devil into hell. Jack was now a wandering soul; thus, people started to carve sinister faces on turnips to frighten it away. Then, when Irish immigrants arrived in the U.S., they began to carve them on pumpkins since this was the native vegetable to the region.

But did you know that just as pumpkins are used on Halloween, another variety is also used in its Mexican counterpart festivity, the Day of the Dead?

As the fall season arrives, it brings calabazas’ (pumpkins) harvesting time with it, which gives room to prepare an unmissable dish to celebrate one of the most remarkable festivities in Mexico. Calabaza en tacha, or candied pumpkin, is a typical dessert to honor those who have departed this life.

The pumpkins grown in this country are not as tender as those used in the US, the orange pumpkins. Castilla squash is the most common in Mexican territory and its color ranges from a blackish green to a tan orange.

It is said that when Spaniards brought this kind of squash to New Spain, Queen Isabel of Castilla enjoyed the flavor so much that they decided to call this vegetable after her.

Calabaza en tacha receives its name from the copper saucepans called “tachos”, where piloncillo used to be prepared. Then the pumpkin was cooked in the molasses residue.

If you’d like to try it and cook your pumpkins instead of carving them, we share our favorite recipe for you to replicate at home. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 4½ to 5½ lb medium pumpkin
• 2 lt. of water
• 2 pcs. (1 lb) piloncillo (cane sugar)
• 1 pc. orange, whole, cut into slices
• 3 pcs. cinnamon sticks
• 2 pcs. star anise
• 2 pcs. cloves

Procedure:

• Cut the pumpkin into large pieces (we usually cut it into 6 or 8 slices) and remove the seeds.
• Bring the water to boil in a tacho (copper saucepan) or a deep clay pot.
• Add the spices and the orange.
• Boil for a couple of minutes for the aromas to infuse the water.
• Add the piloncillo; wait for it to dissolve completely, and form a syrup.
• Place the pumpkin pieces in the same container where you cooked the syrup; half of them with the skin facing down and the other half with the skin facing up.
• Cook over medium-low heat until the pumpkin is mellow and soft; this takes approximately 45 to 50 minutes. Pumpkin used in the US is softer, so may need less time to get a tender texture.
• Remove from heat and let it sit for 30 minutes in the syrup.
• When time is up, remove the pumpkin pieces from the syrup, trying not to break them. Cover the pot with aluminum foil.
• Put the syrup on the stove once more and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes so that it reduces and thickens a little more. Stir it occasionally.
• Once the syrup is done, serve the pumpkin and pour some of it over.

Buen provecho!