Pumpkins on the Roof in Poland

The first mentions of pumpkin use in Poland come from botanical and herbal medicine texts instead of cookbooks.

Pumpkins drying on roof of house.  Village of Horodyszcze in Pińsk district of Polesie 1936 polona.pl   public domain

     In his 1786 book titled Dykcyonarz roślinny (Plant dictionary) Krzysztof Kluk(1739-1796) describes the many types of Cucurbita L., -  the squashes and pumpkins generally called bania, or dynia in Polish. “Some varieties are popular in our country gardens- round, flat, long, grooved, white, green, yellow striped and one that looks like a hat. Added to wheat flour with egg and some parsley will make wonderful noodles.” He also recommends: “Cook the pumpkin in water, run through a food mill or crush through a colander, add eggs, wheat bread crumbs, ginger, pepper and bake into a tart.” In addition: “one part pumpkin, two parts flour mixed with kwas (sour dough starter) makes a delicious bread.”
     While it was also eaten by the wealthy, the pumpkin was treated as a vegetable typical of the cuisine of the poorer classes. A single pumpkin, usually weighing several kilograms, could make a large pot of thick, hearty soup. They could be made into pancakes and, as Fr.Kluk mentioned, into noodles, tarts and bread. Pumpkin seeds also gave an oil. In centuries past pumpkins were also planted in gardens mainly as fodder for domestic animals.
     It’s a fact that pumpkins can be stored for up to several months in a cool, dry place making  them useful in winter or during times of food scarcity but after a lot of searching on Polish websites, I wasn’t able determine why or for what purpose the pumpkins were being dried on the roof in the above  photo.

Pumpkins drying on top of a lean-to at another homestead in Horodyszcze ​  polona.pl

    I was able to locate the village in the Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom III (Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland and other Slavic countries Vol.3 p.144) which often gives information about what is cultivated in the surrounding area but there was no mention.

     Up until World War II, the village was once part of Poland, now belonging to Belarus. The former eastern borderlands of Poland became parts of Ukraine, Lithuania and Belarus and called the Kresy, the former Eastern borderlands of Poland.

Here is another homestead also in Polesie the village of Zajezier also now Belarus.  Narodowy Archiwum Cyfrowy. 1936 public domain

    Maybe someone reading this has knowledge of the Polesie region and can help enlighten us as to this particular aspect of Polish culture and history.

For more about Poland and it's country culinary heritage:
Polish Country Kitchen Cookbook by Sophie Hodorowicz Knab. Hippocrene Books, Inc. https://www.hippocrenebooks.com/store/p369/Polish_Country_Kitchen_Cookbook%3A_Expanded_Edition.html