Zucca delica

The pumpkin originally came from the Americas, where it has been cultivated for thousands of years. There are many varieties of pumpkins: some of them, such as the long pumpkin and the round one, are grown to get to a complete maturity. The Delica variety, most commonly known as round pumpkin, is a flat fruit, with dark green rind and intense yellow flesh, which reaches the average weight of 1,2 kilos. This pumpkin has an early cycle and an excellent flavor, is a good keeper and it is often used in cooking. It is ideal for risotto, stewed with onions or cut in slices and cooked in the oven. It is quite sweet.

Zucca violina

This fruit has a long and narrow shape, which recalls the one of the pear, and a light hazelnut-colored wrinkled skin. The average length varies between 30 and 35 cm and the weight is around 1 kilo. The flesh is yellow-orange and the flavor is sweet. It is the variety which is used to prepare the stuffing for the famous pumpkin tortelli, very well known in the Ferrarese and Mantuan culinary tradition. It is often used also for baking any kind of cake or served sliced and fried as dessert (thanks to its solid flesh which does not absorb much oil). Despite their sweet flavor, all types of pumpkins are poor in sugar and little caloric, but they are very rich in calcium, potassium, phosphor, vitamin A, vitamin C, and betacarotene with a strong antioxidant action.