Calabaza en Tacha (Mexican candied pumpkin)

Mexican Day of the Dead candied pumpkin slow-cooked in piloncillo syrup

Origin: Oaxaca, Mexico

From the journey of Pumpkin & Squash.

Calabaza en tacha is one of the most ancient and symbolically loaded dishes in the Mexican culinary tradition; prepared specifically for Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) on November 1st and 2nd, when the pumpkin is placed on the ofrenda (altar) as an offering to the returning spirits of the dead. The word tacha refers to the copper cauldrons in which sugar cane syrup was traditionally concentrated in colonial Mexican ingenios (sugar mills). To cook something en tacha was to caramelise it in that deep, unrefined piloncillo sugar: a technique that combines the indigenous Mexican pumpkin tradition with the sugar technology brought by the Spanish colonisers. The result is extraordinary: wedges of squash slowly absorbed into a thick, dark, cinnamon-and-orange-scented syrup until they are translucent, glossy, and deeply caramelised. Calabaza en tacha is both a dessert and a ritual object; sweet enough for the living, fragrant enough to draw the dead.

Ingredients

Main

  • 1.5 kg pumpkin or calabaza squash, cut into large wedges, seeds removed (skin on)

Syrup

  • 400 g piloncillo (unrefined Mexican brown sugar cones), broken into pieces
  • 500 ml water
  • 2 sticks cinnamon (Ceylon, canela)
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 1 whole orange, zested then halved for juicing
  • 1 whole star anise

Method

  1. Combine piloncillo, water, cinnamon sticks, cloves, orange zest, orange halves (squeezed in), and star anise in a wide, deep heavy-based pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the piloncillo dissolves.
  2. Arrange the pumpkin wedges skin-side down in the syrup. The syrup should come about halfway up the wedges. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
  3. Cover and cook for 45 minutes, turning the wedges carefully once halfway through. The pumpkin should be tender when pierced with a knife.
  4. Uncover and increase heat to medium. Continue cooking for a further 30–45 minutes, basting frequently, until the syrup has reduced to a thick, glossy, dark caramel and the pumpkin flesh is completely translucent and saturated with syrup.
  5. Transfer wedges to a platter and spoon the thick syrup over them. Remove cinnamon sticks, cloves, and star anise. Serve at room temperature; never hot.

Notes

Calabaza en tacha is traditionally made with the crookneck squash varieties native to Oaxaca, but any firm-fleshed pumpkin or winter squash works well. Butternut, kabocha, or sugar pumpkin all produce excellent results. The skin is edible once cooked. Serve with Mexican crema or plain yogurt to cut the sweetness, though it is also traditionally served unadorned.

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