Sweet Tradition: Pumpkin in Tacha

* Translation by NewsTaco.

By Brenda Storch, La Vitamina T

If you’ve ever wondered, as we have, how Pumpkin in Tacha got such a peculiar name, chef Aldo Saavedra satisfies our wonder by telling us that the name comes from the colonial period, when pumpkin was used to make sugar. Pumpkin was put in a conical or cylindrical basket woven from palm leaves known as ” tompeate ” ( Nahuatl ” tompiatli ” ), which was then crystallized in two boilers over a large stove. But apart from the sugar, the technique rendered a concentrated juice that we know today as piloncillo. One of the boilers was called the “melera.” The other one was known as the “tacha.” Hence the name of the traditional dessert.

And although the typical fall festivals in these latitudes have culminated, and pumpkin in all its forms (trendy coffee’s and such) abruptly gives way to the flavors of winter, pumpkin in tacha is a delicious dessert that you can always enjoy,  as long as fresh pumpkin is available.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lbs pumpkin
• 2 lbs  of piloncillo
• 8 cups water
• 1 cinnamon stick 3 in.
• 1 orange ( zest )
• 6 whole allspice
• 4 star anise
• 3 slices of ginger

DIRECTIONS

• Wash the pumpkin and the orange.
• Cut the pumpkin into small pieces.
• Put water, piloncillo, cinnamon, orange zeat, pepper, anise and ginger in a saucepan. Simmer until the piloncillo dissolves.
• Add the pumpkin and cook for 5 hours at medium heat. Stir periodically.
• Taste to test the falvor and to make sure the pumpkin is cooked .
• Remove from heat and let cool.
• Serve with a glass of milk or in a bowl with milk.

This article was originally published in La Vitamina T.

Chef Aldo Saavedra has cooked for guests in well known establishments like the Hotel Condesa DF and has contributed his recipes on projects with brands such Larousse and Danone. Chef Saavedra shares his passion for cooking and Mexico with readers of  La Vitamina T.