Pumpkin seeds
A popular ingredient in Mexican cuisine, Pumpkin seed, also called Pepita in Spanish, is the edible seed of a pumpkin or other kind of squash. The seeds are typically rather flat and asymmetrically oval, and light green in color inside a white hull. They are a great snack and can be added to salads or used to make sauces such as pesto.
In the Americas, Pumpkin seeds have been eaten since at least the time of the Aztecs and probably much earlier, since squash was one of the three earliest plant cultivated in the Western Hemisphere, along with maize and common beans.
The seeds are concentrated source of numerous health benefiting minerals, vitamins and anti-oxidants. They are a good source of protein, iron, zinc, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, copper and potassium. Also, research studies suggest that pumpkin seeds can help in preventing prostate and ovarian cancers.
Pumpkin seeds are available in the stores year-round. You may find whole seeds (un-hulled), hulled, and roasted seeds displayed in the grocery stores. Look for uniform sized, compact, cream-white, or light yellow color seeds that feel heavy in hand. Make sure the seeds are free from cracks, mold, spots and rancid smell.
Source: www.wikipedia.org, www.nutrition-and-you.com
Image by Sei available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
A popular ingredient in Mexican cuisine, Pumpkin seed, also called Pepita in Spanish, is the edible seed of a pumpkin or other kind of squash. The seeds are typically rather flat and asymmetrically oval, and light green in color inside a white hull. They are a great snack and can be added to salads or used to make sauces such as pesto.
In the Americas, Pumpkin seeds have been eaten since at least the time of the Aztecs and probably much earlier, since squash was one of the three earliest plant cultivated in the Western Hemisphere, along with maize and common beans.
The seeds are concentrated..
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