Chamorro pumpkin recipes were rare in my home growing up, despite the abudance of pumpkins here in the Pacific Northwest during the Fall season. I do remember the one time my grandmother made påstit (turnovers) with pumpkin filling, and that was a real treat. In this post we will read through some Chamorro pumpkin recipes from the final chapter of the book Manmannge’ Na Nengkanno’ I Manchamorro Yan Taimanu Manmafa’tinas-niha written by Carmen C. Blas. Our Saturday morning practice group has been reading through this book since January of this year, so it’s exciting to finally finish it! As always, this post includes the Chamorro text, an English translation, a Chamorro audio narration by Jorell Meno, and a link to the original source document in the UOG Digital Archives Collection. Happy reading!

KALAMASA

Este i tinanom kalamasa, gof meggai na mana’sésetbe ni Chamorro. Pi’ot ha’ i tiempon gera annai ti gof meggai na nengkånno’ guaha. 

Yanggen matånme este gi edda’, kumunanaf ha’ asta ki mañodda’ chå’guan pat trongko nai kahúhulo’. Mampos mesngon na tinanom, sa’ yanggen tiempon somnak, guaha nai guiya ha lålå’la’ gi fangualu’an. Guaha nai hinago’ ha’ sinko åños lålå’la’ ha’ mientras ha ti mabóbo’ok i trongko. 

Ma’ú’usa i punta para gollai yan i gada’ na tinekcha’ lokkue’. Meggai nai siña ma’usa i tinekcha’ måsa, siña ma’aflitu yan kåtne, makonsetba para makånno’ pat para påstit. Siña ma boñelos, yan gof guinaiya lokkue’ ni babui. 

GOLAI KALAMASA

Utot i puntan i kalamasa gi trongko. Na’hånao i kalan hilu gi ramas. Ma’á’alok este mapotgue gi fino’ Chamorro. Na’lågu yan didide’ na hånom para u chinankocha. Yanggen måsa, nå’yi ni lechen niyok, asiga yan didide’ chigo’ lemon ya u loklok ta’lo. 

Siña ha’ yanggen malago’ hao, yanggen un chankocha, fa’dine’i ha’ munga maleche. Siña ha’ lokkue’ manå’yi i kadon kåtne, månnok pat uhang. 

KONSETBA PARA PÅSTIT

Lassas i masa na kalamasa ya un dibåna na’fanganifes. Nå’yi didide’ ha’ na hånom ya un chankocha. Yanggen asta måsa, nå’yi gi keladot ya un na’hånao todu i hanom. Na’kimadu i asukat pues nå’yi påpa’ ni chinankochan kalamasa. Na’mames månu i minalago’-mu. Siña un sanhalumi i pastit ni este. Guaha lokkue’ gumuaiya este para mapalala’i i pån kalan jam. 

SANHALOM I “PIE”

Chankocha i sensen kalamasa ni masa. Kula ya u hånao i hanom. Nå’yi gi tassón ya un nå’yíyi mantikiya, asukat, cinnamon yan didide’ leche ya un na’danña’. Siniyi i lassas i pie ni este ya un hotnu. 

BOÑELOS KALAMASA

Chankocha i sensen kalamasa ni esta måsa. Kula yanggen måsa ya un na’hånao i hanom-ña. Nå’yi arina, asukat yan didide’ baking powder para u nina’mañaña’. Nå’yi lokkue’ cinnamon para u nina’paopao. Na’maipi i laña gi kalåhi yan u fotma na’fanaridondo ni kichalan chumocho. Yanggen agaga’, guahi sa’ måsa.

Pumpkin

This, the pumpkin plant, is really used a lot by the Chamorros. Especially in wartime, when there was not very much food.

When this is planted in the dirt, it just creeps/crawls until it finds some grass or a tree where it climbs up. It is a very hardy plant, because when it is the dry season, sometimes it is the only one alive in the farm. Sometimes it does reach five years of life as long as the base / stem is not uprooted.

The tips are used for vegetables and the unripe fruit as well. The ripe fruit can be used in many ways, it can be fried with meat, preserved in sugar to be eaten or for turnovers. It can be made into donuts, and it is also very loved by the pigs.

Pumpkin Shoots

Cut the tip of the pumpkin on the stem. Remove what’s threadlike on the branch. This is called “plucking” in the Chamorro language. Cook it with a little bit of water so that it will be boiled. When it is ready, add coconut milk, salt and a little bit of lemon juice, and boil it again.

It can be done, if you want, when you boil it, just add peppers / hot sauce, don’t add coconut milk. It can also be added to beef soup, chicken soup, or shrimp soup.

Preserves for Turnovers

Peel the ripe pumpkin and slice it thinly. Add just a little bit of water and boil it. When it is already done, add it into the colander and remove all of the water. Scorch the sugar then add the boiled pumpkin. Sweeten it to how you like it. You can fill the turnovers with this. There are also those who love this for smearing on bread, like jam.

Pie Filling

Boil the pumpkin flesh which is ripe. Strain it to remove the water. Add it into a bowl and add butter, sugar, cinnamon and a little bit of milk, and combine. Fill the pie crust with this and bake it.

Pumpkin Donuts

Boil the pumpkin flesh which is already ripe. Strain it when it’s done and remove its water. Add flour, sugar and a little bit of baking powder so that it will be made soft. Also add cinnamon so that it will be made fragrant. Heat the oil in a large cooking pot and form balls with an eating spoon. When it’s red, remove it from the heat because it’s done.

Source

Carmen C. Blas, “Manmannge’ Na Nengkanno’ I Manchamorro Yan Taimanu Manmafa’tinas-niha,” University of Guam Digital Archives and Exhibitions, accessed January 16, 2025, https://uogguafak.omeka.net/items/show/548.