Cabell d'àngel is a transparent threaded jam made from Siam pumpkin (Cucurbita ficifolia

Cucurbita ficifolia

Cucurbita ficifolia is a type of squash grown for its edible seeds, fruit, and greens. Although it is closely related to other squashes in its genus, it shows considerable biochemical difference from them and does not hybridize readily with them....

) pulp and white sugar

Sugar

Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...

. It originated in Mallorca

Mallorca

Majorca or Mallorca is an island located in the Mediterranean Sea, one of the Balearic Islands.The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Cabrera Archipelago is administratively grouped with Majorca...

 but its use has spread to the rest of Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 and some countries in the Americas

Americas

The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...

.

Uses

Cabell d'àngel can be used simply as a pumpkin jam spread on slices of bread, but it is mainly used to stuff pastries, as ensaïmades

Ensaimada

The Ensaïmada is a pastry product from Majorca, Spain. It is a common cuisine eaten in most former Spanish territories in Latin America and the Philippines, which has been continuously made and eaten for a very long time. The first written references to the Majorcan ensaïmada date back to the 17th...

, pastisset

Pastisset

Pastissets , also called casquetes, pastissets or flaons are small stuffed fried cakes in the Catalan Countries. They can be filled with cabell d'àngel jam, sweet potato jam, or almonds, even with mató cheese and codonyat. They are typical of Terres de l'Ebre and in Valencian Community...

s and coques

Coca (pastry)

The coca is a pastry typically made and consumed in Catalonia, eastern parts of Aragon, most of Valencia, the Balearic Islands, Andorra and in French Catalonia....

.

Preparation

To make Cabell d'àngel, first to cut up the Siam pumpkin and simmer in water until the meat breaks down into filaments. Alternatively, it can be baked in an oven, as is done in Mallorca

Mallorca

Majorca or Mallorca is an island located in the Mediterranean Sea, one of the Balearic Islands.The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Cabrera Archipelago is administratively grouped with Majorca...

. Rinse the filaments thoroughly and then cook them in a syrup

Syrup

In cooking, a syrup is a thick, viscous liquid consisting primarily of a solution of sugar in water, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars but showing little tendency to deposit crystals...

 made with water and white sugar, gently stirring the mixture as it cooks. Cabell d'àngel is usually flavored with stick cinnamon

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods...

 or citron

Citron

Not to be confused with Cintron.The citron is a fragrant citrus fruit, botanically classified as Citrus medica by both the Swingle and Tanaka systems...

skin. It is best when prepared in the spring, once the pumpkins have fully matured.
Ingredients:

• 1 pumpkin
• Sugar
• Lemon
• Cinnamon

Preparation:

1. Empty out the pumpkin and take out all the seeds. Weigh the pumpkin and put it to boil with a little water until the filaments are out. Drain it.
2. Put in a pan a little less sugar than the weight of the pumpkin (proportion is 800 g of sugar per kilogram of pumpkin), the juice of one lemon and a little water. Make with this a thick syrup (almívar).
3. Once the almívar is ready, add the cabell d'àngel (from step 1), boil it while you stir it slowly and often -otherwise it gets stuck to the pan-, until it gets the characteristic colour and texture (30 minutes approximately).