German Pumpkin or Squash in Vinegar: Essigkürbis

Kürbis is the German word for squash, generally, but also for pumpkin, a specific kind of squash, and also for "gourd" (see Word History, below). This preparation is called "Kürbis in Essig" (Pumpkin/Squash in Vinegar), or as is common in German, the two words are simply combined into one as, "Essigkürbis." "Essig" means vinegar, and "Essig" is a word German borrowed from Latin and it is a relative of English "acid," also a borrowing, the older forms of which in English were "æced" and "eced," and like with their German relative, they both meant "vinegar" (vinegar is also a borrowed word in English). This "pumpkin/squash in vinegar" is also termed "eingelegter Kürbis," which means "pickled or preserved pumpkin/squash." *

This pumpkin or squash is typically put into sterilized glass jars or stoneware crocks that can be sealed and kept on the shelf in a cool place for later use, but I didn't do this, as I made just enough to use now and within a short period of time. You can always adjust the recipe for a larger amount, but I kept it for a relatively small amount. The produce stands I buy from were out of actual pumpkin, but they did have acorn squash, so I bought and used a large acorn squash (it gave me about 5 1/2 cups of bite-sized chunks, and it does cook down somewhat). Good as an accompaniment to roasted pork or game, but also good with pork schnitzel and fried potatoes (German: Bratkartoffeln).   

Ingredients:

5 to 6 cups bite-size chunks of pumpkin or squash (acorn or butternut squash)
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup water 
1/2 cup sugar (or to taste)
3 to 4 inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped
5 whole cloves
5 black peppercorns, crushed (not obliterated, just crushed a little so that they release their flavor easily, or use the largest grind setting on a pepper mill)
1 cinnamon stick
peel of 1/2 lemon
(optional, for those who like some 'heat,' 1 or 2 whole hot red chilies, dried or fresh)** 

Peel the pumpkin or squash and remove the seeds. Cut it into bite-size pieces. In a sauce pan over medium heat, bring the squash, white wine vinegar, water, sugar, cloves, crushed black peppercorns, cinnamon stick, lemon peel and ginger (the chilies too, if using) to a simmer. Cook until the squash softens some, but is not mushy. Let the squash cool and then put it and the brine mixture into a non-reactive dish (I used a small glass casserole dish). Remember, vinegar can literally eat into metal containers or pans, releasing the metal into the food, and then making you sick. Give the squash a minimum of a few hours in the refrigerator before serving, but it will be even better the next day.    

* "Eingelegt(er)" is from the compound verb "einlegen," which has a number of meanings, including its literal meaning, "(to) inlay" (legen is a close relative of English "lay," which was once also spelled with a "g," or even a double "g" by some), or "(to) insert," but in this case the meaning likely refers to "infusing with the pickling solution."   

** German foods and "hot and spicy" are not typically used in the same sentence, but I have seen German recipes for this squash with chilies included, so I made it optional. While I like spicy food, I did not include the chilies when I made this squash. 

 The top photo shows actual pumpkin, while the bottom photo is of acorn squash ...

WORD HISTORY:
Gourd-The ultimate origin of this word is unknown, although it is likely related in some way to "cucumber." It's history is a bit shaky. It goes back to Latin "cucurbita," which meant "gourd" (hollowed out gourds were used as containers for liquids), but where Latin got this word is not known, although it has long been "suspected" to have come from some non-Indo European language of the eastern Mediterranean. The ancestor of "cucumber" is Latin "cucumis," and the origin of this word is also unknown, but it is "suspected" to be from the same or related source as "cucurbita," as the similarity of the two words, and the similarity in the plant types and plant fruits sure seem to connect them as relatives. Anyway, Latin "cucurbita," "perhaps" with a shortened spoken Latin form "curbita," gave Old French "coorde," which also meant "gourd." This was "gourde" in the Norman dialect carried to England and it was borrowed by English in the late 1200s. The Latin form "curbita," perhaps in some dialectal form, was borrowed into some West Germanic languages, including Old English (Anglo-Saxon), which had "cyrfet," which meant "gourd." Middle Low German had "körves,"Middle Dutch had "corbes," and Old High German had "kurbiʒ" (the "ʒ" represents the sound "zh" present in a number of English words, including "usual" (uʒual), which became modern German "Kürbis," all meaning "gourd." The German word later came to also be applied to pumpkins and other squash, which came into more widespread use in Europe after they began to arrive from the New World.