Pumpkin
Pumpkins are fruits from the Cucurbitaceae family, which also includes squashes, zucchinis, melons, and cucumbers. They grow from flowers on vines and can be found in various colors, including orange, green, and white, as well as different sizes. The history of pumpkins traces back to Central America and Mexico, where evidence of pumpkin seeds dates from 7000 to 5500 B.C.E. Early pumpkins were small, hard, and had bitter flesh, primarily consumed by indigenous peoples alongside other crops. Over centuries, pumpkins traveled to Europe with explorers and became an integral part of American culinary traditions, notably through recipes like pumpkin pie.
Culturally, pumpkins are closely associated with the fall season and celebrations such as Halloween and Thanksgiving. They feature prominently in folklore, from the story of jack-o'-lanterns originating from the tale of Stingy Jack to Cinderella’s iconic transformation of a pumpkin into a coach. In contemporary pop culture, pumpkin-flavored products, particularly seasonal offerings like the pumpkin spice latte, have become immensely popular, even though many such items may not contain actual pumpkin. Overall, pumpkins hold a significant place in both historical and modern contexts, celebrated for their versatility in cuisine, decoration, and storytelling.
Subject Terms
Pumpkin
A pumpkin is a fruit from the Cucurbitaceae family of plants. It is from the same family as gourds and includes squashes, zucchinis, melons, and cucumbers. The fruit grows from flowers that bloom on traveling vines. Pumpkins can come in an array of colors such as orange, green, and white and a variety of sizes. Some have raised bumps on them that look like warts. The word pumpkin originates from the British word pumpion, which is from the French word pompon. Pompon derives from the Greek word pepon, which means "melon." Pumpkins have appeared in numerous recipes throughout the years and have become synonymous with the fall season and holidays such as Halloween and Thanksgiving.
Overview
Evidence of the first pumpkin seeds dates to between 7000 and 5500 B.C.E. in Central America and Mexico. The first pumpkins looked very different from the modern bright orange variety. They were small and hard and had bitter flesh. Natives grew pumpkins with other crops such as beans and ate the fruits' flesh, not their seeds. Because of their hardy, thick skin, pumpkins were ideal to store in cold weather for times of food scarcity.
Early explorers brought the fruit back to their respective European countries in the 1500s, and pumpkins eventually made their way to the New World. The first American pumpkin recipe appeared in the 1960s book New-England's Rarities Discovered by John Josselyn. More recipes appeared, including one for what became the famed pumpkin pie. Since then, pumpkins have become a culinary staple; they also have become décor and a popular subject in folklore and pop culture.
Pumpkins in Folklore
Pumpkins can be found in many stories, fairy tales, and folklore. The jack-o'-lantern originated from a myth about a man named Stingy Jack who made a deal with the Devil; however, God intervened and forced Jack to walk in the night with a burning coal that he placed in a hollowed-out turnip. People then began to make what became known as jack-o'-lanterns to ward off wandering evil spirits. In America, people make jack-o'-lanterns out of pumpkins as part of Halloween celebrations.
In the fairy tale "Cinderella," her fairy godmother turns a pumpkin into a horse-drawn stagecoach to take Cinderella to the ball. In the nursery rhyme "Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater," Peter takes his wife and tries to keep her by placing her in a pumpkin. In Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," the Headless Horseman hurls a pumpkin toward Ichabod Crane in an attempt to scare him.
Pumpkins in Pop Culture
Pumpkin recipes have become very popular throughout time, and the fruit has been used to flavor many different items. Every year, these pumpkin-flavored foods—typically released during a limited time in the fall season—create what has been called a commercial "craze" for products containing pumpkin.
The fruit flavor has cropped up in beer, coffee, soy milk, pastries, junk foods, cereals, and more; however, research has discovered that many of these products do not contain any actual pumpkin and rely on spices or other squash varieties for their "pumpkin" flavor. One of the most well-known companies to jump on the pumpkin bandwagon is the coffee retailer Starbucks, which offers a limited-time pumpkin spice latte (nicknamed the PSL by coffee lovers) to lure in customers.
Bibliography
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Barksdale, Nate. "The History of Pumpkin Pie." History.com, 21 Nov. 2014, www.history.com/news/hungry-history/the-history-of-pumpkin-pie. Accessed 6 Oct. 2016.
"Family: Cucurbitaceae." Go Botany, gobotany.newenglandwild.org/family/cucurbitaceae. Accessed 6 Oct. 2016.
"History of the Jack O' Lantern." History.com, 2009, www.history.com/topics/halloween/jack-olantern-history. Accessed 6 Oct. 2016.
"How Did Pumpkins Become a Scary Halloween Staple?" Parade, 23 Oct. 2013, parade.com/216566/parade/how-did-pumpkins-become-a-scary-halloween-staple. Accessed 6 Oct. 2016.
Perrault, Charles. "The Fairytale of Cinderella." Guardian, 11 Oct. 2009, www.theguardian.com/books/2009/oct/11/fairytales-cinderella-perrault. Accessed 6 Oct. 2016.
"Pumpkins: Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Pumpkins." The Old Farmer's Almanac, www.almanac.com/plant/pumpkins. Accessed 6 Oct. 2016.
Stoller-Conrad, Jessica. "Why Americans Go Crazy for Pumpkin and Pumpkin-Flavored Stuff." NPR, 20 Nov. 2012, www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/11/19/165508669/why-americans-go-crazy-for-pumpkin-and-pumpkin-flavored-stuff. Accessed 6 Oct. 2016.