The Turkish pantry

Pumpkin

Firm orange cooking-pumpkin flesh for cutting into even pieces before cooking.

Last updated: 18 October 2026

The recipe identity is raw cooking pumpkin, not a decorative gourd. The nutrition table describes raw edible flesh; peel, seeds, sweetened pumpkin dessert and canned pie filling are outside that portion. Varieties differ in firmness and water content.

A raw orange pumpkin wedge with dark green rind and seeds beside three peeled chunks on a wooden board.

Types & forms

Whole cooking pumpkin

Rind, seeds and cavity must be accounted for when buying enough edible flesh.

Raw peeled chunks

The prepared ingredient for recipes that specify peeled pumpkin weight.

Purée or sweetened filling · comparison

Cooked and possibly seasoned; unsuitable where intact raw pieces are required.

What to look for when buying

Choose a pumpkin sold for cooking, with sound rind and no leaking, moldy or sunken areas.
For cut pieces, choose firm orange flesh and refrigerated packaging. Check whether the recipe’s weight is before or after peeling and removing seeds.

Prepare & cook

Wash the exterior before cutting. On a stable board, divide into manageable pieces with a suitable sharp knife; keep the cut face stable rather than forcing a rolling whole pumpkin.
Remove seeds and fibrous cavity, peel as the recipe directs, and cut fairly even pieces. Retain the recipe’s size because it affects softening and whether pieces hold together.

Store it well

Keep a sound whole pumpkin in a cool, dry, ventilated place, away from damp surfaces. Inspect periodically for deterioration.
Refrigerate cut or peeled pumpkin in a covered container. Do not apply whole-pumpkin keeping advice to exposed flesh.

Substitutions depend on the dish

Another cooking pumpkin or winter squash

Use a firm-fleshed cooking variety as a deliberate variation; water content and softening time may differ.

Pumpkin purée

Useful for a puréed dish, but it cannot replace intact pieces in a pumpkin dessert. Check for added sugar and spices.

Nutrition

Pumpkin, raw ^[1]

Per 100 g edible portion
Nutrient	Amount
Energy	26 kcal
Protein	1 g
Total fat	0.1 g
Saturated fat	0.05 g
Carbohydrate	6.5 g
Dietary fiber	0.5 g
Total sugars	2.76 g
Sodium	1 mg
Cholesterol	0 mg
Calcium	21 mg
Iron	0.8 mg
Potassium	340 mg
Vitamin D	0 µg

Raw pumpkin edible flesh, excluding rind and seeds. Not sweetened pumpkin dessert, canned filling or a separate analysis of every cooking variety. Values are rounded for readability; “not reported” does not mean zero. A “<” value is below the source’s measurement limit.

Nutrition values come from the reference source named above. They are published reference values, not our own measurements. Actual products and cooking methods may change the values.

At the Turkish table

The linked kabak tatlısı recipe cooks pumpkin with sugar. The raw-pumpkin nutrition values below describe the starting flesh, not the finished sweetened dessert.