Pepitas are the secret foundation of many classic Mexican dishes

One of the ‘three sisters’ of indigenous cuisine, pepitas add flavor and texture to mole and more

By Janet Blaser
Published on Saturday, August 21, 2021

Contrary to what you may think — and what I thought too — all pumpkin seeds are not the same. In fact, those white-hulled pumpkin seeds inside your Halloween jack-o’-lantern, or sold in bins as snacks in mercados everywhere? Not pepitas, which is what you’re looking for if you want to make mole, pipián verde or any number of other classic Mexican dishes.

So while we may (wrongly) call them both “pumpkin seeds” in English, the truth is that pepitas only come from one kind of squash and don’t need to be hulled; they’re just their small, oblong green selves all along.

Could you take the time to shell the interior seeds from “regular” white pumpkin seeds, and would they taste kind of the same? Yes. But why? Just buy the correct pepitas.

Pepitas have been used as a food source for a long time; coming from squash — one of the “three sisters,” the indigenous cornerstones of companion planting — that’s not really a surprise.

Evidence of cultivated squash goes back about 8,000 years, several thousands years earlier than even beans and maize, the other two “sisters.”

A delicious Mexican alternative to basil pesto is Pepita-Cilantro Pesto.
Pepitas are rich in nutrients and micronutrients. Dried and roasted, they’re high in polyunsaturated fats, contain 30% protein and are a good source of Vitamin E, zinc, magnesium and calcium.

Pipián is the name used for dishes made from pepitas. Other moles use pine nuts, almonds, sesame seeds or peanuts, each of which lends a distinctive flavor and texture to the mole.

All are made with the same pre-Columbian method of browning the seeds to release their natural oils and grinding them into a flavor-filled paste that’s then added to the usually complex mixture of spices, vegetables, broths and seasonings.

Read more […]