Autumn is pumpkin time and that means that the healthy vegetables can be used again in delicious dishes such as soups or oven-roasted vegetables. But not all pumpkins are edible – some of them can even be poisonous. We explain how to recognize poisonous pumpkins.
Are you one of those pumpkin lovers who can hardly wait for autumn to use the delicious vegetables in various dishes? In addition to the good taste, regular consumption of pumpkin also has a positive effect on your health. Because the vegetables are rich in valuable antioxidants, fiber and nutrients such as beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A. However, not all pumpkins are edible – they can even be poisonous under certain circumstances. We explain how to recognize poisonous pumpkins.
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This is how you recognize poisonous pumpkins
All cucurbits, including courgettes and cucumbers as well as pumpkins, can contain bitter substances that are toxic to us humans. The bitter substance cucurbitacin in particular attacks the mucous membranes in the gastrointestinal area and can cause severe symptoms of poisoning such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps or diarrhea. The cucurbitacins were bred from the pumpkin varieties that you can buy in supermarkets and the like, but the bitter substances may still be present, especially when you grow them yourself, through reverse mutations or unwanted crossings with ornamental pumpkins. Excessively long or incorrect storage can also lead to an increased level of the poison.
The good news is that you can identify poisonous pumpkins quickly and easily: if you taste a raw piece of the pumpkin before you prepare it and it tastes very bitter, the cucurbitacin content is too high. This applies to both pumpkins and zucchini. It is important that the sample piece is raw, as you can no longer taste the cucurbitacin so well when it is cooked. If the taste is bitter, the corresponding vegetable should under no circumstances be eaten and disposed of immediately, since the poison remains even after cooking.
Distinguish between edible gourds and ornamental gourds
In contrast to the edible pumpkin varieties such as Hokkaido or Butternut, ornamental pumpkins, as the name suggests, are only suitable for decorative use. In contrast to squashes, they are usually much smaller, look more conspicuous and have less flesh. As a rule, the ornamental gourds are also marked as such – if in doubt, however, you should definitely do the taste test as described above before eating.
