Pumpkin seeds (Pepitas, semillas de calabaza) are one of the favorite snacks of the Mexican people. Vendors sell them hot or cold on almost every street comer, either shelled, fried until puffed up, and salted or simply toasted in the shells, plain or salted. They have become a well-known U.S. nibble as well, particularly among the health-conscious. Pumpkin seeds are a key ingredient in many Mexican dishes, especially toasted or fried and finely ground for certain sauces, where they help to thicken the texture and add flavor. My recipe for Papadzules is a good example. The Spanish found the Aztecs making sauces with pumpkin seeds that are remarkably close to the modern versions of pepián or pipián. In various moles and sauces they are combined with European ingredients like almonds, cloves, and Ceylon cinnamon (for example, Alcaparrado) in the true tradition of the mestizo kitchen. In the same vein, the conquerors brought sugar to the New World, and eventually the native pumpkin seeds were combined with this in a kind of nut brittle still popular today, pepitorias.
