The jubilee 40th “Days of Pumpkins” in Kikinda did not set records in measuring the heaviest or longest gourds, but it will remain remembered for several rarities. The first is the fifth consecutive victory of competitor from Hungary, Tibor Kokai, who once again brought an enormously heavy pumpkin.
He and his wife Melinda, from the town of Szent Márton, brought the heaviest pumpkins to northern Banat and deservedly won the first two places. Tibor became the champion with a pumpkin weighing 832 kilograms, while Melinda secured the runner-up position with a pumpkin weighing 779.5 kg.
“One we grew from seeds from Denmark, and the other from our champion pumpkins from previous years. One grew under a plastic cover, and the other we moved outside, into the garden. She took care of one, and I took care of the other. For the first two months they grew equally fast, gaining up to 25 kilograms a day, but then my pumpkin started progressing better, so we were even competing against each other a little. In the end, my pumpkin won. It wasn’t easy to maintain them, because the one under the cover ‘drank’ up to 1,200 liters of water a day, while the one under the open sky needed between 600 and 800 liters,” revealed Tibor Kokai, who also holds the record of this event with a pumpkin of 865.5 kilograms.
Third place, with a pumpkin weighing 333.5 kilograms, went to the students of the Agricultural School from Bačka Topola, who won the hearts of the hosts.
“Pumpkins are watered not only with water but with sweat and tears, because it is very hard to raise them to be big, heavy, or long. It takes a lot of work, effort, dedication, and it’s hard to protect them from disease, heat, cracking, or rotting,” said Gordana Lazić.
The Kikinda Tourist Organization and the City of Kikinda awarded the winners with 120,000 dinars each, the runners-up received 80,000, and the third-placed 60,000 dinars. At the 40th “Days of Pumpkins,” the sweetest pumpkin was also chosen. Precise measurement showed that it belonged to Radovan Zakić from Kikinda, who grows tamburica-type pumpkins. The meter showed his pumpkins had 13 brix, which expresses sweetness, i.e. sugar content. Second place went to Dragiša Štrbac, whose pumpkin had 10.2 brix, and third place to Goran Lazić with 10.1 brix.
The manifestation, for which Kikinda is widely known, was well attended, and numerous guests were once again served the now famous “Banat breakfast.” Housewives from city and village women’s associations prepared pumpkin specialties, as well as other dishes from Banat, Hungarian, German, Bosnian, and other cuisines. The city and Tourist Organization also hosted associations from friendly municipalities and towns, so from East Sarajevo, the association “Wake Up” brought sweets, handicrafts, and souvenirs.
“We have been coming for four years now and always have wonderful impressions. We are delighted with the size of the exhibition space, the organization, the stalls, and the people who always welcome us warmly. It is wonderful that everyone participates in this magnificent event. We brought traditional syruped cakes: baklava, tulumbe, urmašice, various pies, ružice, as well as felted, crocheted, and other handicrafts,” said Branka Granzov Poznan.
At the stands of local associations, there were pumpkin pies, dumplings, rolls, muffins, cakes, cured meats, cheeses, liqueurs, juices, alcoholic drinks, honey, and various other products. Kikinda once again proved that it is the pumpkin capital not only of our country but beyond.
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Source: Novosti, Foto: Printscreen Youtube