Kurbiskernol...Bless you!?

What a delicious discovery! One of my weekly clients just returned from one of many wonderful summer vacations, the most recent being Austria. They brought back a few decadent chocolates (that they keep in their bedroom! Love that!) a few loaves of artisan bread that they were very generous to share with me on most recent visit to their home and Kurbiskernol!


Kurbiskernol is an Austrian specialty, Pumpkin Seed Oil. This oil is unlike anything I have ever tasted and tastes remarkably of roasted, salted pumpkin seeds. After a little bit of online sleuthing I was able to dig up some facts. The pumpkin seeds that produce this oil are grown in East & West Stryria/Steiermark, in South Burgenland and in a small area of Niederosterreich and the oil that they produce are a European Union protected designation of origin product (much like champagne in France). The pumpkins grown are known as Stryrian Oil Pumpkins (Cucurbita pepo var. styriaca) and are raised exclusively for their seeds. Unlike other pumpkins, the seeds inside of these green/orange/white pumpkins lack the hard white exterior hull that most pumpkin seeds have. The seeds are dried, roasted, cold pressed and then allowed to settle for up to 1 month and then finally bottled. The color can range from deep green to red.

The bottle that my family brought home is a viscous green that looks like murky emerald. It is delicious! Salty and deep, I paired it with Scallops. The Pumpkin Seed Oil is best utilized at room temperature, and looses its nutrients when heated. It also has a very low smoking point, so it could never be used for frying or sauteing. The list for what I would drizzle this on really could go on forever. For starters, Scallops (talk about that more in a bit), roasted Squash (especially acorn or butternut), into soups (puree of celeriac or even a oyster bisque sounds tempting), melon, beef carpacchio, raw or seared Tuna etc.

I was so overwhelmed with what to do with this new find I could barely keep myself from drizzling it over everything. I limited myself to roasted Acorn Squash and the Scallop Dish.

The Scallops were marinated in raw Garlic and Olive Oil, and then a hash of Shitake Mushrooms, diced Shallot, and Arugula. To top the dish off, I created a Curried Fuju Persimmon Vinaigrette. I haven't been able to taste the dish, but I just know that the flavors will work brilliantly together. My client promised that when she pulled the dish together that night she would take pictures and I will share them with you later this week.

The vinaigrette was a beautifully hued orange, it was the color of an yellow heirloom tomato. The base was concocted with Dulcet Madras Curry Mustard, a touch of Acadiana Honey, freshly ground Black Pepper, peeled and diced Persimmon and a mix of Canola and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It was so good and pretty, the teaspoon that I sampled with a drop of the Kurbiskernol was heavenly. Looking forward to their reaction.

To find your own bottle of Kurbisernol visit the Deimel Pumpkin Farm Website (in Stryria, Austria-for US shipping) and Hay River Pumpkin Farms (an American farm in Wisconsin that is raising the Austrian Oil Pumpkins).