Ghapama
A whole stuffed pumpkin rooted in Armenia's ancient pre-Christian harvest celebrations, its stuffed-vegetable tradition predating the pumpkin itself, which only reached Armenia after arriving from the New World, likely in the 19th century. The nuts and dried fruit made this historically a special-occasion dish, too costly for regular meals, still appearing today at autumn harvest, Christmas, New Year, and weddings. Real ghapama is stuffed and baked whole with the skin on, used as its own serving vessel and sliced tableside — pre-cubing the pumpkin and baking the filling separately, a common shortcut, loses both the presentation and the caramelization of the rice against the pumpkin's flesh.
⚠ Contains: Tree Nut, Dairy. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 1 whole pumpkin (about 2.5 kg)
- 200g rice, partially cooked
- 100g dried apricots, chopped
- 80g raisins
- 80g pitted prunes, chopped
- 100g walnuts, chopped
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Steps
- Cut a lid off the top of the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and fibers.
- Mix the partially cooked rice with the dried apricots, raisins, prunes, walnuts, butter, honey, and cinnamon.
- Stuff the mixture into the pumpkin cavity and replace the lid.
- Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 1.5-2.5 hours, until the pumpkin flesh is soft.
- Slice into wedges to serve, scooping the pumpkin flesh together with the filling.