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Let’s be honest: there comes a point every autumn when we hit “peak pumpkin spice”. You know, when even your neighbour’s cat seems to wear a pumpkin spice collar. But wait: before you swear off anything pumpkin for the rest of your life, let me introduce you to this recipe for sweet-sour pumpkin.

In this form, pumpkin proves it is more than just soup or pie. This German-inspired dish (we call it “Kürbis süß-sauer” – try to say that three times fast!) balances the pumpkin’s natural sweetness with a tangy vinegar-based sauce.

I grew up with this heavenly dish. My mom still makes it usually around mid-November and the smell of the sweet vinegar and spices in combination with misty days, tell me that we’re nearing Christmas time.

The best thing about this dish is that it’s so versatile: What I love most about this dish is its chameleon-like quality – serve it warm alongside your Thanksgiving turkey, at room temperature on a holiday appetizer board, or chilled as a unique addition to winter salads. The sweet-sour preparation also means it keeps beautifully in the fridge, making it perfect for busy weeknight meals or advance holiday preparations.

Serve it warm, and it’s comfort food. Serve it cold, and it suddenly becomes fancy antipasto. Leave it in the fridge, and it gets even better. Whether you grew your own pumpkins this year or picked some up from the local farmers’ market, this recipe offers a delicious way to preserve the yellow berries well into winter.

So if you’re ready to rescue a pumpkin from its pie-destined fate and transform it into something that’ll make your taste buds do a happy dance, stick around. This recipe is about to become your new fall flex – because nobody needs to know it’s actually super easy to make. (That’ll be our little secret!)

Recipe: Sweet-sour pumpkin

Yield: 5 jars à ¾ l

Ingredients

2 kg pumpkin, net weight

1 l apple vinegar

1 kg sugar

peel of one lemon

3 cinnamon sticks

1 tbsp cloves

Instructions

1. Chop the firm flesh of ripe but not overripe pumpkins into cubes of about 1,5 cm (3/4 inch).

2. Put vinegar, sugar, lemon peel and spices into a pot and bring it to a boil.

3. Cook the pumpkin cubes in several portions until they are glassy through and through. This takes some time, about 20 – 30 minutes, depending on the size of the cubes. Make sure they are really cooked through, otherwise the preserve won’t last.

4. When the pumpkins are well cooked, put them out with a slotted spoon and put them into the jars.

5. Let the liquid boil for 5 minutes. Remove the lemon peel and pour the boiling-hot juice into the jars so that the pumpkin cubes are under the brim. Immediately tight-seal the lids.

6. Stored in a cool and dark place, sweet-sour pumpkin will last at least for one year.

Sweet-sour pumpkins

The best thing about sweet-sour pumpkin is that it’s so versatile: What I love most about this dish is its chameleon-like quality – serve it warm alongside your Thanksgiving turkey, at room temperature on a holiday appetizer board, or chilled as a unique addition to winter salads. The sweet-sour preparation also means it keeps beautifully in the fridge, making it perfect for busy weeknight meals or advance holiday preparations.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine German

Ingredients

  

• 2 kg pumpkin net weight
• 1 litre apple vinegar
• 1 kg sugar
• peel of one lemon
• 1 stick of cinammon
• 1 tbsp whole cloves

Instructions

 

• Chop the firm flesh of ripe but not overripe pumpkins into cubes of a 1.5 cm (3/4 inch)
• Put vinegar, sugar, lemon peel and spices into a pot and bring it to a boil.
• Cook the pumpkin cubes in several portions until they are glassy through and through. This takes some time, about 20 – 30 minutes, depending on the size of the cubes. Make sure they are really cooked through, otherwise the preserve won’t last.
• When the pumpkins are well cooked, put them out with a slotted spoon and put them into the jars.
• Let the liquid boil for 5 minutes. Remove the lemon peel and pour the boiling-hot juice into the jars so that the pumpkin cubes are under the brim. Immediately tight-seal the lids.
• Stored in a cool and dark place, sweet-sour pumpkin will last at least for one year.

Keyword pumpkin

Now, if that’s not proof enough that pumpkins can break free from their spice-laden destiny, I don’t know what is! This recipe has turned more pumpkin sceptics into believers than a fairy godmother turning pumpkins into carriages (although, unlike Cinderella’s ride, these sweet-sour pumpkins won’t turn back into regular pumpkins at midnight).

So, if you’re looking for a pumpkin recipe other than pie, this one’s your new best friend. Your taste buds will thank you and your dinner guests will be impressed. And if anyone asks where you got this recipe, just wink mysteriously and say it’s an old family secret. Or you know, share the link to this blog – I’m good either way! 😉