Pondering the Pumpkin

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Pumpkins at the French Market in New Orleans
October is a great time to ponder the Pumpkin, as these giants of the vegetable world are stacked outside every grocery store right now, for use in cooking, carving, and fun fall decorations!  They are members of the squash (aka cucurbit) family, which includes cucumbers, melons, zucchini, and many other plants.   

The oldest evidence found so far that shows just how long they have been important to humans, was the discovery of pumpkin seeds in a tomb in central Mexico, that are estimated to be from between 7000 and 5500 BC.  Wow… and pumpkins have continued to be a staple crop in all the years since, with the pulp and seeds still used in dozens of traditional dishes in many parts of Mexico and Central America.

From those long-ago origins, pumpkin seeds were taken all over the world by the Spaniards and other explorers, and soon began to be grown on every continent in the world except Antarctica.  The pulp and seeds are high in beta-carotene and Vitamin A and C, potassium and fiber.  The seeds are also very high in protein and unsaturated fatty acids, and the seed oil has been shown to increase bladder and prostate health, decrease atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), and even reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels.  Hey, sign me up for a daily dose!!!

In the US, 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkins are grown each year!  Growing up in the Midwest, I am used to baking the pulp for pumpkin pie and roasting the seeds for snacks, but check out the other great ways to eat pumpkin that humans have created all over the world:
Pumpkin flowers are big, beautiful, and delicious!
  • Here in the Southwestern US and Mexico, pumpkin and other squash flowers are commonly dipped in a batter and fried in oil, or used as a garnish on other foods;
  • In several Middle East countries, pumpkin is used for sweet dishes such as halawa yaqtin;
  • In India, it’s cooked with butter, sugar, and spices in a dish called kadu ka halwa;
  • In China, the leaves of the pumpkin plant are used as a cooked vegetable and in soups;
 
Pulp and seeds are scrumptious too!
  • In Japan, small pumpkins are served in savory dishes, including tempura;
  • In Myanmar, pumpkins are candied for desserts;
  • In Thailand, small whole pumpkins are steamed with sweet custard inside;
  • In Vietnam, it’s cooked in soups with pork or shrimp;
  • In Italy, it’s used with cheeses as a savory stuffing for ravioli;
  • In Korea, pumpkin leaves are eaten as a vegetable and used in kimchi;
  • Pumpkin leaves are also a popular vegetable in Kenya and Zambia, and in Zambia they are also boiled and cooked with peanut paste. 
Wow, are you getting hungry for pumpkin yet?  I am!

Giant Pumpkin contest

Many people in the western world also like to carve pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns to celebrate Halloween.  This tradition originally came from Britain and Ireland, where there is a long tradition of carving lanterns from large turnips.  In 1837, the word jack-o'-lantern first appeared in writing, as a term for a carved vegetable lantern, and over the next 50 years, many legends were created, including that jack-o’-lanterns can scare off imaginary monsters.  In the US, the most common type of pumpkin used for carving is the Connecticut Field Pumpkin.  They grow nice and round, are plenty big enough to hold a candle or flashlight after you hollow them out, and last a long time, even after they’re carved.  

Last but not least, in case you’re wondering about the current record for the world's heaviest pumpkin and world’s biggest pumpkin pie:  in 2016, a pumpkin weighing 2,624.6 lbs. was grown by Mathias Willemijns of Belgium, and in 2010, a 20ft diameter pumpkin pie was made in New Bremen, Ohio that weighed 3,699 lbs!  Holy Moley, that’s a whole lotta pumpkin!

Sources I researched for this article:
www.mexconnect.com
www.bodynutrition.org
www.guinnessworldrecords.com


Photo credits:
Pumpkins at the French Market in New Orleans by Infrogmation, GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2
Pumpkin flower by Vishalsh521, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license
Cross section of pumpkin by Sarbjit Bahga, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license 
Giant Pumpkins by DavidPolitzer , Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.


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