Pumpkin seed oil from the Oil Mill, Središče ob Dravi

When you find yourself travelling towards Croatia and you pass through the small town of Središče ob Dravi you will be enveloped in a pleasant aroma, something similar to your favourite cake made by your grandmother.

The experts will recognize this fragrance emanating from the oil mill, where for decades an aromatic addition to salads has been produced, - the pumpkin seed oil.

The entries in the chronicles of Središče ob Dravi show that the production of the pumpkin seed oil is truly old. The people of Središče ob Dravi have been growing pumpkins (or 'tikve' as they call them locally) for oil since time immemorial.
During the winters the women were 'peeling' the seeds.
This probably resulted in the oil mill being here more than a hundred years ago.

The first owner of the oil mill was Vargazon, a big landowner from Središče. Later the mill was owned by Kmetijski kombinat Ormož, while today it belongs to Jeruzalem Ormož SAT d.d. which purchased the mill from its original owners in 1993.

 

 

It is remarkable that the production of pumpkin seed oil has not changed at all in the last hundred years. The little secrets that give the true taste to the oil have been passed on from generation to generation.

The production is completely natural, there are no additives included in the process.

• before production, the seeds are cleaned, mixed and worked into a suitable shape

• the mixture then continues on to the roasting pans where the oil starts being extracted at the appropriate temperatures

• when the mix is roasted it then goes to the presses from which a pleasantly smelling oil starts flowing.

The by-products of this production are nicely shaped cakes: pumpkin cakes, which are appreciated mostly by the fishermen and also by the farmers who use the cakes in animal feed.

The freshly produced oil is not ready to be bottled just yet. Due to the sediment it has a shorter expiry date (such oil becomes rancid). Therefore the oil has to be stored in tanks where it is allowed to settle down naturally for a fortnight. After that period it is ready to be bottled. The oil is bottled in glass bottles, which is the only way to ensure that the oil retains the full taste and high quality.

Consumers’ tastes are rather varied: some swear by pure pumpkin seed oil, others dilute it with white oil in different ratios. The Oil Mill, Središče ob Dravi has adapted to the tastes of consumers, thus you will find different commercial names for such mixed oils: Farmer’s Oil, Oil from Prlekija, Salad Oil.

Pure pumpkin seed oil is the most respected and most in demand. Besides its practical use in the kitchen it is also valuable for its medicinal purposes. It contains high levels of vitamin E and as such it boosts the natural immunity of the human organism. It also helps with problems with the prostate or the urinary tract.

Not only does it not contain cholesterol, it actually lowers its level in the blood. It is also recommended as a cure for burns and cracked skin on the hands and feet.

 

So let us say “FOR YOUR HEALTH – WITH THE PUMPKIN SEED OIL from the Oil Mill Središče”