Candied Pumpkin - Turkish Vegan Dessert

Try candied pumpkin —two ways! The regular version and one made with slaked lime that only very few get to taste outside of Turkey. Video with step-by-step instructions available.

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• 🇹🇷 Candied Pumpkin
• 🎃 What Type of Pumpkin Should You Use?
• 🧪 How to Use Pickling Lime in Cooking?
• 🍯 Ingredients
• 🥣 Instructions
• 🎥 Longer Video
• 🌱 More Recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

🇹🇷 Candied Pumpkin

With this recipe, we'll go deep into Turkish cuisine and dig out a treasure that is only available in certain parts of the country during a certain time of the year: crispy candied pumpkin dessert made with calcium hydroxide, also known as "kireçte kabak tatlısı".

This special variety, for the most part, is only available in the Hatay region of Southern Turkey. Luckily, you can absolutely make it at home with the right type of pumpkin and some pickling lime.

Since sharing this recipe in 2020, I found out that this dessert is also common in India ("petha"), Lebanon ("mrabba etta’ al-yakteen"), Mexico ("calabaza en tacha"), and... South Texas! It's amazing how such vastly different cuisines can reach the same delicious conclusions, don't you think?

🎃 What Type of Pumpkin Should You Use?

Unfortunately, the regular Jack-o'-lantern pumpkins have very little flesh that is often quite bland and dry. The next best option is a sugar pumpkin (aka pie pumpkin); these are smaller and are slightly more fleshy with an earthy and sweet taste.

My personal favorite is called a Cinderella pumpkin. It is also the closest variety to what is traditionally used in Turkey for dessert.

Also known as cheese or fairytale pumpkin, they have lots of flesh and are very flavorful, similar to butternut squash. In fact, Cinderella pumpkin and butternut squash are very closely related—therefore, feel free to substitute with butternut squash if you don't have access to the other variety.

🧪 How to Use Pickling Lime in Cooking?

Warning: Do not consume food-grade calcium hydroxide straight. The highly alkaline powder is very harmful and can cause chemical burns when exposed to the eyes, when inhaled, or digested. I recommend using kitchen gloves when handling this compound.

In my grandparents' village near the Aegean coast, they used to slake regular limestone to make calcium hydroxide, and use it to make jams & pickles. The compound basically helps to crisp up the fruits and vegetables you are using it on by binding to their pectin, making them firmer.

In Mexico, food-grade calcium hydroxide is known as "cal" and it is commonly used in the production of corn tortillas to increase the bioavailability of niacin in corn thereby making it more digestible.

You certainly don't want to use the wrong kind of lime to cook with! The limestone sold at home improvement stores is not what you're looking for unless you know how to slake it.

I'd recommend paying a few dollars more and sticking to the food-grade version. It is also worth noting that nowadays, pickling lime is no longer recommended for long-term preservation since it's been linked to cases of botulism:

"Canned pickles are safe to eat because they’re soaked in an acidic liquid, typically vinegar, and acid kills bacteria. However, pickling lime is alkaline. This means it neutralizes acids. If pickling lime is left on vegetables, the acid might not be strong enough to kill bacteria."

Healthline Article

🍯 Ingredients

Crispy candied pumpkin is made with only a few ingredients, only one of which you may not have easy access to:

• pickling lime (aka cal, calcium hydroxide, slaked lime)
• pumpkin, peeled & sliced (or sub w/ butternut squash)
• granulated sugar
• cinnamon sticks and cloves
• topping: tahini & walnuts

To make a non-crispy and quicker version of this dessert, simply leave out the pickling lime.

🥣 Instructions

Watch this quick Tiktok video to get a general idea:

@aegeandelight

Ingredients * ½ cup (50g) pickling lime (aka cal, calcium hydroxide, slaked lime) * 6lb (2.7kg) of pumpkin, sliced (about half of a medium-sized Cinderella pumpkin) * 2 ½ cups (500g) granulated sugar * 5 cups (or more) water * few cinnamon sticks & cloves * top with: crushed walnuts & tahini 1. In a large, non-reactive pot, make a calcium hydroxide bath by mixing the pickling lime with water—remember to turn away from the dust cloud. Gloves recommended. 2. Place the pumpkin slices inside the bath, pour in more water to fully submerge all pieces. Weigh them down with a heavy plate to submerge everything, then let them harden for a minimum of 4 and up to 8 hours. 3. The next morning, drain out the water and wash each piece multiple times to remove any excess lime. Transfer the rinsed pumpkin into a large pot (you may need two pots) and pour sugar all over. You can also make a syrup ahead of time and add it at this point. 4. Add water and mix. If there are many pieces not submerged in syrup, add more water. Bring to a boil and add cinnamon sticks and whole cloves, then turn down the heat and let it simmer for up to 3 hours. Periodically test a piece starting at 90 minutes; it should be snappy on the outside and creamy in the middle. Let it cool down when you reach the desired texture. Top with tahini and crushed walnuts. 5. It will keep for about one week in the fridge. If you make the syrup with a 1:1 sugar to water ratio, then it can keep for three weeks (but is way too sweet for my taste). Before you get rid of your pumpkins for a decorative change—order pickling lime and make this instead! Turkish kabak tatlısı (pumpkin dessert) is a classic delicacy in fall/winter time, especially when made crispy like this. If it’s too late because you already said goodbye to the pumpkins, this can also be made with butternut squash. Afiyet olsun!! #pumpkinseason #christmas #kabaktatlısı

♬ Fall October Halloween horror classic(177261) - rareNote

1. In a large, non-reactive pot, make a calcium hydroxide bath by mixing the pickling lime with water—remember to turn away from the dust cloud. Gloves recommended.
2. Place the pumpkin slices inside the bath, and pour in more water to fully submerge all pieces. Weigh them down with a heavy plate to submerge everything, then let them harden for a minimum of 4 and up to 8 hours.
3. The next morning, drain out the water and wash each piece multiple times to remove any excess lime. Transfer the rinsed pumpkin into a large pot (you may need two pots) and pour sugar all over. You can also make a syrup ahead of time and add it at this point.
4. Add water and mix. If there are many pieces not submerged in syrup, add more water. Bring to a boil and add cinnamon sticks and whole cloves, then turn down the heat and let it simmer for up to 3 hours. Periodically test a piece starting at 90 minutes; it should be snappy on the outside and creamy in the middle. Let it cool down when you reach the desired texture. Top with tahini and crushed walnuts.

Notes

• It will keep for about one week in the fridge. If you make the syrup with a 1:1 sugar-to-water ratio, then it can keep for three weeks—but is way too sweet for my taste.
• If you leave the pumpkin slices in the pickling solution for longer than 8 hours, they may harden too much, especially if you sliced them thinly. I suggest feeling them out with gloves every hour after 4 hours of pickling. They should be firm, but also be able to bend slightly.
• You can make a non-crispy version of this by just skipping the pickling process altogether. Use the same amount of pumpkin and sugar, it will cook about 1 hour faster than the crispy one.
• I've made the non-crispy version with erythritol to make a sugar-free alternative once and it worked great! Simply use 1 ⅓ cups of erythritol to replace 1 cup of sugar.

🎥 Longer Video

Watch how to make it step-by-step in this video:

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Did you make this candied pumpkin recipe? I'd love to hear about it! Please comment and leave a star🌟 rating below. This helps me run Aegean Delight and I always appreciate it 🙂

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