Pumpkin in Saor: the flavor of Autumn

10/21/2025

Pumpkin, the queen of autumn, lends itself to countless preparations: sautéed in a pan, it can be used as a sauce for pasta dishes; roasted in the oven, it pairs beautifully with meat; and it can even be turned into velvety soups or used in sweet recipes like muffins and cakes.

Today, we're using it in a savory dish from Venetian tradition: zucca in saor. Guiding us through this recipe is our Cesarina Monica from Roncade, who takes us step by step through a preparation where the natural sweetness of pumpkin meets the sweet-and-sour notes of onions, raisins, and pine nuts. A dish that tastes like autumn, home, and childhood memories:

“When we were little and accidentally bumped our heads against something - or someone - our parents or grandparents would smile and say: 'Hai fatto cucca?’ (Did you bump your head?). And if you kept pretending to be dazed, the teasing would follow: ‘Then you really are a succa barucca’ (in the Venetian dialect, succa barucca literally means ‘a type of pumpkin,’ but it's used playfully to describe someone being a bit silly or scatterbrained—like calling someone a ‘pumpkin head’). Or even worse, if you didn’t get it: ‘Te sì proprio ‘na succa... o meio,un succòt!’ (You're really a pumpkin… or better yet, a little pumpkin head!)”.

So, between jokes and local sayings, pumpkin has always had a special place in popular culture: often used to poke fun at those a bit absent-minded or with their head in the clouds, it’s actually a prized ingredient—and the undisputed star of autumn cooking.

Saor: a seafaring tradition

Saor is a traditional preservation method from the Veneto region, passed down from Venetian sailors of the 14th century who used it to preserve fish, particularly sardines, during long sea voyages. The sailors would fry the sardines and then marinate them in a sweet-and-sour mixture of onions. This technique extended the shelf life of the fish, ensuring food safety in the absence of refrigeration.

Over time, and thanks to trade routes to the East, the original recipe was enriched with ingredients like raisins and pine nuts, which added aromatic notes to the dish. Onboard ships, onions were a staple food: rich in vitamins, they also helped prevent scurvy, a disease common among sailors due to a lack of vitamin C in their diet.

Venetian-style Pumpkin in Saor

A traditional Venetian dish that combines the sweetness of pumpkin with the sweet-and-sour flavor of onions, raisins, and pine nuts

DifficultyEasy

Servings4

€

CostLow

Ingredients

600 g Zucca Barucca (a traditional Venetian pumpkin variety; or another type of pumpkin)
2 white onions
½ glass of white wine vinegar
30 g pine nuts
40 g raisins
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Nutmeg, to taste
Oregano, to taste
Parsley, to taste
3 pinches of sugar
Extra virgin olive oil

Method

Slice the pumpkin into pieces that are not too thin.
Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Season with salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of nutmeg.
In a separate bowl, place the onions, thinly sliced into rings.
Add the oregano, three pinches of sugar, and half a glass of white wine vinegar.
Mix well to combine the ingredients.
In another bowl, soak the raisins in warm water for about 5 minutes.
Once softened, drain and gently squeeze them, then add them to the onions.
Pour and evenly spread the onion and raisin mixture over the pumpkin slices on the tray.
Add the pine nuts and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil.
Bake at 200°C (390°F) for about 30 minutes.
In the final minutes, turn on the grill function to lightly brown the surface.
Remove from the oven and transfer everything to a serving dish.
Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.