Nut and seed oils seem to be the new and exotic flavoring preferred by professional and home chefs alike. Such oils add a layer of flavor that "gilds the lily" of the host dish and contributes to the mouth texture we so often turn to by using butter. While we are seeing a flood of pumpkin seed oils from around the world just like a wine made with Thompson seedless grapes, it's not the same in flavor or value.

Hirschmann is a firm located in Styria, Austria. Its specialty is Styrian Pumpkin Seed Oil which is a thick, voluptuous green oil made from the seeds of the green-yellow pumpkin indigenous to the region. The Hirschmann production facility is small and its production staff even smaller (ie: the Hirschmann family). Seeds for the oil are hand-selected and still hand-washed so as not to destroy their silvery-green bloom, which contributes to the oil's depth of flavor. This time consuming attention to quality and detail means that while other producers may have good oils, they won't be of a class with the Hirschmann's.