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| Photo by Vlada Karpovich |
The great pumpkin horde rises then get smashed into Pumpkin Pie, Pumkin Bread, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Pumpkin—well, you get the picture.
As if all the pumpkin desserts weren't enough, there's Pumpkin Latte, Pumpkin Eggnog, and, I fear, so much more.
Love all those orange beverages and desserts? Unfortunately, I don't. I've never been a fan of the pie made from this giant orange gourd.
To be honest, I don't know if it's the pumpkin or the overload of spices because I do like pumpkin bread when I make it in my kitchen.
WHO DISCOVERED THOSE BIG ORANGE GOURDS?
I was surprised to discover pumpkins were first cultivated in Central America around 5,500 B.C.. When Europeans arrived in the New World, pumpkins were one of the first foods they brought back to Europe.
In Europe they were first mentioned in 1536. Within a couple of decades they were grown regularly in England. The British called them pumpions which came from pompon which was what the French called them because of their round shape.
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| Photo by cottonbro studio Is it the brownish color that deters me? |
BACK TO AMERICA
When the Pilgrims came over on the Mayflower in 1620, some of them probably were familiar with pumpkins just as the Wampanoag tribe who helped them survive that first year were.
The next year, the 50 surviving colonists were joined by about 90 Wampanoag for a 3-day harvest celebration—what we claim as the very first Thanksgiving.
Pumpkin was probably served in some form because this useful vegetable can be used in many ways.
Add it to flour, thus decreasing the amount of flour needed, and make bread. Roast it and season with salt, pepper, and some kind of fat and serve it as a vegetable.
Cook it and season with something sweet and spices for—Pumpkin Pie!
By 1654, Edward Johnson, a Massachusetts ship captain, wrote that New England had prospered and people could now make apple, pear, and quince tarts rather than their former Pumpkin Pies.
By 1705, Pumpkin Pie was firmly established as the pie to serve at Thanksgiving, an established New England holiday.
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| Photo by Diliara Garifullina |
To me, Sweet Potato Pie tastes the same as Pumpkin Pie, perhaps because the same spices are used in each pie.
TO PUMPKIN OR NOT TO PUMPKIN?
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