Photo via frozboz.com
Every week, A Word on Food will give you a term that will make your mouth water. Happy eating.
Pepitas [puh-PEE-tuh]: The small edible seed of a pumpkin or squash, used in cooking and often dried, roasted and eaten.
Origin: Mexico
Sweet, chewy pepitas are everywhere this time of the year, whether you know it or not. The pumpkin seeds we often roast and eat as a snack are actually pepitas.
These flat, dark-green seeds are rich and nutty, and can be flavored with spices, making them a perfect treat. As an added benefit to their rich autumnal taste, pepitas are highly nutritious, containing iron, protein, magnesium, zinc, potassium and copper.
Pumpkins and the pepitas inside are a species indigenous to the Americas. The word “pepitas” comes from Mexico and the Spanish phrase “pepitas de calabaza,” which means “little seed of squash.” Many Native American tribes recognized the dietary and medicinal benefits of pepitas, making them a celebrated food in their culture. Pepitas remain a popular ingredient in Mexican cooking today.
Pepitas are a blank canvas for all your flavor cravings. To start, try this recipe for sugar and spice pepitas, courtesy of Epicurious.
Ingredients:
·Nonstick vegetable oil spray
·2 cups shelled pepitas
·1/3 cup sugar
·1 large egg white, beaten until frothy
·1 tablespoon chili powder
·1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
·1/2 teaspoon salt
·1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
·1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray. Mix pepitas and next six ingredients in medium bowl. Stir in cayenne pepper, depending on spiciness desired. Spread pepitas in single layer on baking sheet.
2. Bake until pepitas are golden and dry, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Separate petpitas with fork while still warm. Cool.
For an even bolder, spicier flavor, try Food Network’s spicy pepitas. Rachael Ray also has recipes for BBQ pumpkin seeds, sesame pumpkin seeds, smoky chipotle pumpkin seeds and even cheesy pumpkin seeds, to satisfy any flavor preference.
Can’t get enough? Try Babble’s roundup of 21 creative pepitas recipes including everything from breads to bars to brittle.
For a wholesome seasonal meal, try SAVEUR’s Mexican-inspired pepita and cilantro pesto, which has a nutty, toasted flavor served best with roasted squash or grilled fish.
You can find pepitas or pumpkin seeds pre-salted and roasted at most grocery stores and at the Maryland Food Co-op in the University of Maryland’s Stamp Student Union. But for the real experience, try buying a pumpkin and getting the seeds out yourself. The richness of flavor will be worth the work of cleaning and drying them yourself.
