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The Changing Face of Mexico

4.6 Recipe: Calabaza en Tacha (Pumpkin in Syrup)

Provided by UNC Institute for the Study of the Americas

Ingredients

  • 1 pumpkin
  • 6 sticks cinnamon
  • 1 orange
  • 2 lb. raw sugar

Instructions

  1. Cut the top off the pumpkin to form a sort of bowl and make six incisions down the side without cutting right through the flesh. If the sugar is a block, break it up inside a cloth using a stone or hammer. Put the sugar in a pan with the cinnamon, orange juice and four cups water. Place the pumpkin upside down in the pan for the inside to absorb steam.
  2. Cover the pot and simmer. When ready, the shell of the pumpkin should looked glazed. Leave to cool. Serve on its own or in a bowl of ice-cold milk.