Walk around the bustling Budapest markets this autumn, and you’re likely to see plenty of pumpkins and other varieties of squash. Sure, they make great jack-o-lanterns at Halloween time, but the juicy vegetables also taste pretty scrumptious and are good for you too.
Just like green peppers and tomatoes, pumpkins also started their conquest from the New World. But now their popularity is spreading across Europe; in Nagydobod, Hungary there’s even an annual festival dedicated to the vegetable.
Packed with magnesium, potassium, antioxidants, carotene as well as vitamin A, B, C and E, pumpkins can help guard against all sorts of health problems including cancer, allergies and skin disorders.
Holistic medicine practitioners have used pumpkins and their seeds to treat illnesses of the kidneys, liver, bowels as well as arthritis. In fact some think that pumpkin seeds are pretty handy for purifying your gut and it’s all down to their high fiber content.
Budding chefs should add a pumpkin or two to their shopping list this autumn too. From the fleshy shell to the crunchy seeds, most parts of the pumpkin are edible. So why not try baking one in the oven, or perhaps roast the seeds for a light snack? When ripe, the pumpkin can be boiled, baked, steamed, or roasted – meaning that you can let your culinary imagination run wild, and cook up any number of healthy treats.
The Sofitel’s talented chef Alain knows how to enhance a menu with a pumpkin dish or two so why not make your way to the elegant Paris Budapest Café and see what’s on offer? It’ll be good for you.
Place: Paris Budapest Café
Sofitel Budapest Maria Dorottya
1051 Budapest Roosevelt tér 2.
Tel.: +36.1.235.1234/657
www.parisbudapestcafe.hu
