Pumpkin cubes brined with salt and red pepper and left to ferment a couple of days into a tangy side: eaten as a salad, a pie filling, or alongside paste.
Kabshou (Fermented Pumpkin)
Ingredients
Method
- Peel the pumpkin and cut into 2-cm cubes.
- Pack into a clean jar or enamel pot with the bay and peppercorns.
- Dissolve the salt and red pepper in water and pour over to cover.
- Weigh down so the pumpkin stays submerged; cover with a cloth.
- Leave in a warm room 2 days until it smells lightly sour, then chill.
- Serve cold as a side or salad, or use as a filling.
Keep the cubes fully under the brine: anything above the liquid can spoil.
This is the recipe from the Recipes section of the Circassian app, where you can also scale it and save it to your favourites.
Kitchen words in Circassian
The words for what is in this dish, in Kabardian (East Circassian) and Adyghe (West Circassian), with audio from the Circassian app’s lessons and audio course.
| English | Kabardian | Adyghe |
|---|---|---|
| water | псыpsy | псыpsə |
| salt | шыгъуshyghu | щыгъуshchəghu |
| food | шхынshkhyn | шхыныshkhənə |
| delicious | IэфI'ef' | IэшIу'eshIu |
| This is delicious! | Мыр IэфIщ!Myr 'ef'shch! | Мыр IэшIу!Myr 'esh'u! |
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Kabshou: questions
How long does it take to make Kabshou?
About 20 minutes, according to the recipe in the Circassian app.
How many people does this Kabshou recipe serve?
It serves 6. The servings control above the ingredients recalculates every quantity for 1 to 40 people.
What is Kabshou made of?
The ingredients are: 1 kg pumpkin, peeled and cubed; 1 tbsp salt; 1 tsp red pepper; 2 bay leaves; A few peppercorns; water to cover.
Is Kabshou an everyday or a festive dish?
The Circassian app files it as an everyday dish (Vegetables & Sides).
Where does this Kabshou recipe come from?
From the Recipes section of the Circassian app. The app’s recipes draw on Amjad Jaimoukha’s book Circassian Cuisine and were cross-checked against Russian and Adyghe food sources.
Sources
- Circassian app, Recipes section, recipe “Kabshou (Fermented Pumpkin)” (recipe data last changed July 2026). The app’s recipes draw on Amjad Jaimoukha’s book Circassian Cuisine and were cross-checked against Russian and Adyghe food sources.
- Circassian app: audio course, Kabardian and Adyghe (the kitchen words: cheese, meat, milk, bread, tea, water, food, delicious), and the lessons’ vocabulary (chicken, salt, butter, honey).
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