4

I bought pumpkin from German Supermarket and its name is Sombra.

Sombra Pumpkin

But I can't find any information about it in internet. Is it known by some other name? I want to know so that I can look for recipes.

Upon searching I found may be its called as Winter sweet Pumpkin, but I can't find any information about that either!

Improve this question
  • 1
    Are you sure it is a name of the pumpkin type? Supermarkets sometimes label produce with "brand" names, I've had a "dino melon" this summer (with a dinosaur on the sticker), and sometimes also with the geographic area where it grew. – rumtscho♦ Oct 13 '20 at 11:59
  • 1
    With answers now starting to take guesses at all kinds of pumpkin based on appearance: there are resources on the Internet such as this one to check: ichkoche.at/kuerbis-lexikon. Apparently, this color is called "blue" in a pumpkin, but I don't think you can make an identification based on appearance only. – rumtscho♦ Oct 14 '20 at 13:07
  • I love the squash naming site! – FuzzyChef Oct 17 '20 at 5:04
4

Most winter squash is fairly interchangeable when cooking.

Obviously, there are differences in them (sweetness, density, size, flesh color), but if you're cutting it up and roasting it, then it's fairly universal (but you might need to cut up denser ones into smaller bits).

Tozer Seeds describes it as:

a combination of sweetness, flaky texture and depth of flavour

(Kings Seeds uses the exact same description)

I'm not sure what they mean by 'flaky', but it might mean that it can be treated like spaghetti squash, where the fibers are such that it can be cooked whole and then removed from the skin in long strands as a pasta substitute.

As it looks to be a smaller pumpkin, and they mention it's sweet, I'd recommend trying recipes for "acorn squash".

And, if you roast it and it's not quite right ... then you can always mash it with other flavorings, or blend it with some stock to turn it into soup.

Improve this answer
  • Also worth noting -- I found the seed descriptions by searching for 'sombra squash' as pumpkin is a type of winter squash. – Joe Oct 13 '20 at 16:00
  • I agree with your statement that "most winter squash are fairly interchangeable", but I'm not sure I would go with your final recommendation of acorn, which are much smaller and do not keep as long. Additionally, the cooked skin of an acorn squash is edible, which may not be the case with a sombra. The hubbard squash seems a closer match, with thick skin, sweet flesh, comparable size and even color. – Benjamin Kuykendall Oct 13 '20 at 21:52
  • @BenjaminKuykendall : it's edible? Wow, that takes a braver person than me. And Hubbards aren't quite a close match on size. They're pretty large, and I think that picture is cropping off it being held in the palm of someone's hand. – Joe Oct 13 '20 at 23:31
  • Blue Hokkaido pumpkins would be a closer match in size/weight. However, those aren't exactly easy to find either. – FuzzyChef Oct 17 '20 at 5:06
  • If looking for recipes, try any recipe for pumpkin. – FuzzyChef Oct 17 '20 at 5:07
3

I bought this exact one at Lidl - very pleasant texture when baked (not at all like spaghetti squash and I am not sure how this would be called "flaky"). Not much fibre, taste sweet and reminiscent of chestnut. The skin is edible (if you must), but tougher than in e.g. Hokkaido squash.

Improve this answer
  • Thanks for the reply. May I ask you, how do you know that the skin is edible? Did you find some online sources for this information? – Porcupine Oct 15 '20 at 8:03

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.