{"id":6311,"date":"2017-10-26T11:59:06","date_gmt":"2017-10-26T11:59:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/?p=6311"},"modified":"2017-10-26T11:59:06","modified_gmt":"2017-10-26T11:59:06","slug":"the-dinette-teller-44-spooky-but-awesome-curiosities-about-pumpkin-and-halloween","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/?p=6311","title":{"rendered":"The Dinette Teller &#8211; 44. Curiosities about Pumpkin and Halloween"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>One of the main symbols of Halloween is the pumpkin!<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;\">This is the time of the year to make provisions of candies and sweet treats because bunches of children are going to knock on your door in just a few days, shouting &#8220;Trick or Treat?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;\">Adults and children absolutely love this celebration worldwide, and it now represents a must also in countries, where Halloween is not a fond part of their tradition, such as Spain, Greece and Italy.<\/p>\n<p>However, despite its &#8220;spooky&#8221; reputation, this amazing vegetable hides a wide variety of nutritional and health benefits&#8230; let&#8217;s discover them together!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6338\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6338\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/autumn-flowers-1789975__340.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6338 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/autumn-flowers-1789975__340-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/autumn-flowers-1789975__340-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/autumn-flowers-1789975__340.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6338\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Wonderful Pumpkin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Pumpkin Properties<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The pumpkin is one of the biggest existing vegetables and is part of the\u00a0<strong>Cucurbitacee Family<\/strong>\u00a0(with courgette, cucumber, watermelon, and cantaloupe). This family is characterized by a high amount of water content. Therefore the pumpkin has a strong depurative character, and it is low in calories.<\/li>\n<li>It has<strong> calming properties<\/strong> and therefore is\u00a0recommended to those who that suffer from<strong> insomnia and irritability<\/strong>. It also contains <strong>serotonin<\/strong>, a<strong> molecule<\/strong> which can <strong>improve the mood and relax the nerves.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6341\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6341\" style=\"width: 210px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/pumpkin4.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6341 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/pumpkin4-210x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"210\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/pumpkin4-210x300.png 210w, https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/pumpkin4.png 295w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 210px) 100vw, 210px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6341\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Against insomnia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>As any yellow\/orange vegetable, also the pumpkin is rich in<strong> beta-carotene.<\/strong> It is an important<strong> antioxidant,<\/strong> which can protect the body from free radicals. Therefore, it has a good action on the circulatory system and it acts as an <strong>anti-inflammatory<\/strong> molecule. Finally, it is also <strong>fundamental for the production of vitamin A,<\/strong> important for the <strong>sight function, teeth and bone health<\/strong>. Half <strong>a cup of pumpkin pur\u00e8e is enough to ensure the daily recommended vitamin A intake.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6339\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6339\" style=\"width: 295px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/pumpkin2.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6339 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/pumpkin2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"295\" height=\"209\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/pumpkin2.png 295w, https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/pumpkin2-78x55.png 78w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 295px) 100vw, 295px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6339\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Good for your health<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>The pumpkin is rich in <strong>mineral salts,<\/strong> such as calcium, <strong>phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, iron and zinc.<\/strong> It is also rich in <strong>fibre,<\/strong> useful for the digestive function.<\/li>\n<li>All the parts of the pumpkin can be eaten! Skin, meat, leaves and seeds! Delicious!<\/li>\n<li>Consume the seeds after baking them in the oven. They are rich in <strong>cucurbitacin,<\/strong> which is<strong> a natural antiseptic of the urinary tract.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6340\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6340\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/pumpkin3.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6340 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/pumpkin3-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6340\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Delicious seeds<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>A very famous Italian saying is &#8220;<strong>Lui \u00e8 fuori di zucca&#8221;!<\/strong> which literally means\u00a0&#8220;He&#8217;s out of his gourd&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>The pumpkin was already harvested in 5000BC by the South American tribes. In fact, the seeds represented a good source of proteins and they were easily transportable, perfect for commercial tradings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Halloween Funny Facts<\/h3>\n<p>What connects pumpkin with the Halloween tradition?<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s discover few nice curiosities about this celebration:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The origin of the name Halloween comes from the contraction of the\u00a0<strong style=\"font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;\">\u201cAll Hallows Eve\u201d,\u00a0<\/strong>which was the evening before the All Saints Day. <strong>It began in Ireland in the 18th Century.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>The celt tradition of the Jack O&#8217;Lantern was born in Ireland, when an Irish farmer called Stingly Jack, tried to cheat on the Devil. It was condemned to wander around in the dark for his whole life, with just an ember. He built a lantern with a pumpkin, carving it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6342\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6342\" style=\"width: 295px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/pumpkin5.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6342 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/pumpkin5.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"295\" height=\"296\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/pumpkin5.png 295w, https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/pumpkin5-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 295px) 100vw, 295px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6342\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jack O&#8217;Lantern<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>The traditional colours of Halloween are Orange and Black. The Orange symbolise the autumnal light and the virtue of the strength. The Black colour is linked to the mystery and death and it represents the dark of the coming Winter.<\/li>\n<li>Celts used to wear wild animals leathers after the sacrificial rituals of the 31st of October, so as to dispel the vagrant spirits of the city. From this habit, it follows the tradition of wearing costumes for Halloween. The most beloved ones are Dracula, the princess, Batman, the witch, zombie, the Pumpkin and various kind of animals.<\/li>\n<li>In Hong Kong, Halloween is called &#8220;<b>Yue Lan&#8221;<\/b>, meaning the &#8220;Celebration of the Hungry Ghosts&#8221;. They use to light fires and to offer food as a gift, to fill their tummy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6343\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6343\" style=\"width: 295px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/pumpkin6.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6343 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/pumpkin6.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"295\" height=\"196\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6343\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chinese Halloween<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>On Halloween night it is possible to find out a few things of our future. The first one is the length of our life: peel an apple, trying to obtain the longest strip of skin you can. Its length symbolizes the length of your life as well. Secondly, if you are a young girl, you can discover the face of your future husband, laying out a wet linen in front of the fire. Finally, wearing our clothes on the reverse side, and walking backwards, it will maybe possible to meet a witch.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6345\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6345\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/pumpkin8.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6345 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/pumpkin8-300x212.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"212\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/pumpkin8.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/pumpkin8-78x55.jpg 78w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6345\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Let&#8217;s find out the length of your life<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h5>So have fun and enjoy your Halloween Night! Best Wishes for a great celebration from the whole team of Taste With Gusto!<\/h5>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6344\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6344\" style=\"width: 295px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6344 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/pumpkin7.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"295\" height=\"150\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6344\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Happy Halloween!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the main symbols of Halloween is the pumpkin! This is the time of the year to make provisions of candies and sweet treats because bunches of children are going to knock on your door in just a few days, shouting &#8220;Trick or Treat?&#8221; Adults and children absolutely love this celebration worldwide, and it [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":6337,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6311"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6311\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6454,"href":"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6311\/revisions\/6454"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookwithgusto.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}