The popular Hokkaido pumpkins have also been cultivated in Germany for about 20 years. While the orange-red Hokkaido variety "Uchiki Kuri" (also known as "Red Kuri") is almost exclusively available in supermarkets in this country, the Japanese pumpkin is available in many different colors in its homeland. In Japan, for example, green and gray pumpkins are very popular, mainly because of their sweeter taste.
The History of Hokkaido
In 1878, American agronomists traveled to Japan, which had been very isolated until then. They had pumpkin seeds of the “Hubbard” variety with them, a giant pumpkin that was actually quite tasteless, but all the more powerful. Until then, pumpkins were unknown in Japan, but the hard-working plant breeders on the Japanese island of Hokkaido immediately set about breeding “Hubbard” to improve it. This is how the small, extremely tasty "Hokkaido" - which is actually called "Uchiko Kuri" - was created within about 100 years. The aromatic, Japanese new variety only began its worldwide triumph a few decades ago and ushered in a true pumpkin revival. Until then, the vegetable had long been spurned.
The most famous Hokkaido varieties
- Uchiki Kuri (orange-red skin, orange flesh)
- Sunny Hokkaido (slightly larger and rounder than Uchiki Kuri)
- Kuri Kabocha (green Hokkaido, very popular in Japan)
- Blue Kuri (gray-green skin, brown flesh)
- Snow Delite (grey shell)
Of gray and green Hokkaido
In Germany, the orange to orange-red Hokkaido varieties are known, which taste nutty and sweet and whose aroma is reminiscent of chestnuts. So far, especially widespread in Japan, but also on the rise here, are green and gray varieties. These usually taste sweeter than the variants known to us. Green varieties like Sweet Mama, Nutty Delicia or Meruhen are flatter and heavier than the red ones. They have a strong yellow flesh, while the gray-green variants (such as Snow Delite or Yukigeshou) have a more ocher to brown flesh.
tips and tricks
If you grow other winter squashes in your garden in addition to Hokkaido, make sure to strictly separate the individual varieties. Hokkaido and other squash varieties can interbreed, so be prepared for surprises when you harvest them.