🎃 Kabak tatlısı (Turkish candied pumpkin)
Kabak tatlısı is a Turkish autumn dessert of thick pumpkin slices cooked slowly in their own juice with sugar until glossy, tender and deep orange. The pumpkin turns soft but holds its shape, sweet and syrupy. It is served cold, topped with crushed walnuts and a drizzle of tahini.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 kg pumpkin, peeled and cut into thick slices
- 200 g sugar
- 50 g walnuts, chopped
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 2 cloves (optional)
Method
- Lay the pumpkin in a wide pan, sprinkle with sugar and leave several hours or overnight to release its juice.
- Add the cloves, cover and cook over low heat 40–50 minutes, without stirring, until tender and the syrup is thick.
- Leave to cool completely in the pan, then chill.
- Serve with tahini drizzled over and walnuts scattered on top.
How to make it lighter
- Use less sugar — the pumpkin is naturally sweet and stays syrupy with about 150 g.
- Keep the topping to one teaspoon of tahini per portion; tahini is calorie-dense.
- Two slices make a portion; leave most of the syrup in the dish.
History
Candied pumpkin is a traditional autumn and winter dessert in Turkey, made when large pumpkins are in season in autumn. It is sold by pastry shops and made at home across the country, often with tahini as a topping.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →