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Pumpkins, adored as an autumn icon, play a starring role in both October and November. During October, they transform into jack-o’-lanterns, with countless pumpkins cultivated specifically for this festive use. Come November, they become the star ingredient in Thanksgiving pumpkin pies, deeply rooted in American culinary traditions.
Despite being classified as a fruit, pumpkins are celebrated as one of the most cherished vegetables. Below are some intriguing and lesser-known facts (and a few surprising secrets) about pumpkins.
10. When A Pumpkin Isn’t A Pumpkin
Pumpkin plants belong to the Cucurbitaceae family, which encompasses melons, cucumbers, and squash. Though pumpkins are frequently considered distinct from squash, they are actually a variety of squash. The term “pumpkin” is not tied to a specific species or botanical classification. Instead, whether a squash is labeled a “pumpkin” hinges on its appearance and the purpose of its fruit.
Typically, a pumpkin is round, featuring smooth, firm, slightly ribbed skin that ranges from deep yellow to orange. The designation “pumpkin” primarily refers to three or four closely related species: Cucurbita pepo, C. moschata, C. maxima, and C. argyrosperma. The last, once known as C. mixta, is sometimes said to include pumpkin varieties, though not all sources agree. Ultimately, the distinction is largely irrelevant.
Numerous cultivars within these species bear little resemblance to the classic jack-o’-lantern. For instance, both the butternut squash and the Long Island cheese pumpkin (a short, pale-orange variety resembling a jack-o’-lantern) fall under C. moschata. This species also includes the Dickinson pumpkin, favored by Libby’s for their canned pumpkin products. Despite its name, the Dickinson pumpkin resembles a butternut squash more than the traditional jack-o’-lantern.
9. Squashes For Pumpkin Pie
While many assume “pumpkin pie” is made from jack-o’-lantern pumpkins, this is rarely the case for canned pumpkin pie filling. Instead, the Dickinson pumpkin, resembling a butternut squash, and the butternut squash itself are popular choices.
When pie filling lacks the jack-o’-lantern pumpkin, some may claim that canned pumpkin isn’t truly pumpkin. This argument is flawed, as pumpkins and squash are botanically indistinguishable.
Why did Libby’s opt for a butternut squash look-alike in their canned pumpkin products?
The Dickinson cultivar offers several advantages, including more flavorful flesh per pound, a thinner rind, fewer seeds, and a smaller hollow center. In contrast, field pumpkins, used for jack-o’-lanterns, are generally unsuitable for pies. While they can be used, they aren’t primarily grown for consumption. (Exceptions exist, such as the Triple Treat cultivar, which works well for both carving and pies.)
Since 1938, the FDA has allowed canners to label products as “pumpkin” even if they contain golden-fleshed sweet squash or a mix of squash and field pumpkins. Unless there’s evidence of consumer deception, the agency sees no need to alter this policy.
It’s entirely possible to create a delicious pie using pumpkins that resemble jack-o’-lanterns. Pie pumpkins, specifically cultivated for consumption, are smaller, sweeter, and denser compared to their larger counterparts meant for carving.
8. Prehistoric Pumpkins
Pumpkins (and “squash”) are now widely cultivated across several states. However, humans weren’t the first to consume pumpkins or disperse their seeds. The mastodon, an ancient, mammoth-like creature, played a role in spreading squash seeds, as evidenced by seeds found in their fossilized dung.
Wild squashes were once abundant in North America. Thriving in environments disturbed by large mammals, these weedy plants produced fruits with a toxic and bitter taste due to the chemical cucurbitacin.
The plant’s bitterness served as a natural deterrent against rodents and small herbivores that might have consumed its seeds. Smaller mammals, with varied diets, possess more bitter-receptor genes, while larger animals like elephants have fewer, reducing their ability to detect bitterness.
Today, mastodons no longer exist. In Africa, elephants, their closest living relatives, consume and disperse several species of bitter squash. In the US, zoos often provide elephants with pumpkins, which they enthusiastically crush and eat, reminiscent of their extinct ancestors.
7. Image Problems
Initially, pumpkins were stigmatized as a low-quality food, associated with the lazy, uncivilized, and impoverished.
Pumpkins were brought to Europe early on through the Columbian Exchange. By the 16th century, they had made their way to England from France.
Pumpkins thrive effortlessly, growing like weeds, and produce large, abundant fruit. They became a dependable food source during difficult times, particularly for rural communities.
Europeans mocked pumpkins and those who consumed them, labeling them as uncultured and unsophisticated. This perception was compounded by the fact that pumpkins were grown by Native Americans, whom New England colonists viewed as uncivilized. The link between pumpkins, the rural poor, and indigenous peoples led colonists to regard the food with disdain.
Despite this, New England colonists heavily relied on pumpkins when other food sources were scarce. Their reliance resulted in repetitive, pumpkin-centric meals. Even after other foods became accessible, colonists continued to use pumpkins, defending their dependence on this versatile crop.
6. Odd Colors
While the classic pumpkin is known for its orange hue, these versatile gourds also appear in other colors, including yellow, white, blue, and even pink.
White pumpkins are among the most popular non-traditional varieties. Cultivars like Baby Boo and Lumina, once considered novelties, are now widely available at pumpkin patches and supermarkets, often at a slightly higher price. Their ghostly appearance provides a unique “canvas” for painting, though their flesh is just as orange and edible as their orange-skinned counterparts.
The Sunlight pumpkin, known for its yellow color, is resistant to powdery mildew. The Australian Jarrahdale cultivar boasts a bluish-gray tone, while the Galeux d’Eysines is pale pink with peanut-shell-like warts, which are sugar deposits indicating its sweet flesh. The Porcelain Doll pumpkin, also pale pink, lacks these warts.
Even pumpkins not bred for unique colors undergo color changes as they mature. Some start yellow and turn orange, while giant pumpkins often transition from yellow or white to pink-orange or bluish-gray at maturity.
Pumpkins affected by viruses often retain green speckles or spots instead of turning fully orange. While some may find this visually appealing, pumpkins with severe virus symptoms are typically unsuitable for sale.
5. Animal Feed
Feeding pumpkins to livestock has a long-standing tradition. Farmers producing jack-o’-lantern pumpkins often sell imperfect or damaged ones as animal feed. Additionally, surplus pumpkins and unsold Halloween jack-o’-lanterns are frequently repurposed for livestock consumption.
Some farmers cultivate pumpkins exclusively for livestock feed. Varieties like the Connecticut Field, used for carving, and smaller giant pumpkins, such as King Mammoth Gold, are commonly chosen for this purpose.
Pumpkins are cut into sizes suitable for the animals being fed. Livestock unfamiliar with pumpkins may need time to adjust to this new food source.
Farmers once believed pumpkin seeds could reduce milk production in cows and harm pigs. To prevent this, they removed the seeds before feeding pumpkins to their animals.
Pumpkin seeds are actually nutritious, rich in protein and fat. However, the belief that they cause health issues isn’t entirely baseless.
While pumpkin seeds don’t reduce milk production, cows should only be fed 14–18 kilograms (30–40 lb) of pumpkin daily due to their richness. Similarly, feeding pigs only pumpkin seeds can lead to indigestion because of the high fat content.
4. Versatility
While the flesh of the pumpkin fruit is the star in culinary uses, other parts like the leaves, vines, flowers, and seeds are also edible and versatile.
Pumpkin seeds, often called pepitas, are a popular snack. They can be boiled, roasted, dried, or ground into sauces like pipian.
Pumpkin leaves are rich in vitamin A and provide calcium, vitamin C, iron, and protein. They can be steamed, boiled, fried, or added to stews, offering more nutritional value than canned peas.
The tender vine tips, or shoots, can be boiled, sautéed, or stir-fried. These hollow vines are prized in Africa, Asia, and Australia for their hearty texture and sweet, earthy flavor.
Pumpkin flowers are edible both raw and cooked. They can be fried, stuffed, baked, or used in soups. Squash bees, which pollinate pumpkins, often sleep inside the flowers, sometimes surprising those preparing the blossoms.
3. The First Thanksgiving Had No (Real) Pie
Most historians agree that pumpkin pie was absent from the first (and second) Thanksgiving. However, some argue otherwise, with the disagreement stemming from differing definitions of what constitutes a “pie.”
The original “pumpkin pie” was far from today’s version. It involved hollowing out a mature pumpkin (likely C. pepo), filling it with milk, spices, and honey, and baking it in hot ashes.
The modern concept of pumpkin pie—a sweetened pumpkin custard in a pastry crust—didn’t emerge until the publication of America’s first cookbook, American Cookery, in 1796, shortly after the nation’s independence.
In 1827, Sarah Josepha Hale, a key figure in establishing Thanksgiving as a national holiday, declared pumpkin pie an “essential element of an authentic Yankee Thanksgiving.” By the 1800s, pumpkin pie had become firmly linked to the colonial era and a staple of the Thanksgiving feast.
2. Pumpkin Alcohol
Yeast is crucial for brewing beer, as it consumes sugars and produces carbon dioxide and alcohol as byproducts. Typically, yeast feeds on malt, derived from sprouted barley.
In colonial New England, high-quality malt was scarce, forcing colonists to rely on alternative fermentable sugar sources, such as pumpkins.
Pumpkin flesh completely replaced malt in colonial times, giving pumpkin ale a distinct “tang” unless aged for several years. Pumpkin beer was widely brewed in the 18th century but saw a decline in popularity by the 19th century.
In 1995, pumpkin beers reemerged as a craft beer specialty. Today, there’s such a variety that Seattle’s Elysian Brewing hosts a pumpkin beer festival featuring numerous styles.
Modern pumpkin beers use pumpkin primarily for flavor. Most brewers opt for canned pumpkin, which may not come from traditional Halloween varieties. While some mash the pumpkin, many find adding it to the boil yields better flavor with less effort.
Unlike their historical counterparts, modern pumpkin beers are often spiced with “pumpkin pie” spices. In fact, the spices contribute most of the flavor, as the pumpkin itself is quite subtle.
1. Pumpkin Seed Oil
Pumpkin seed oil, derived from the Styrian pumpkin grown in southeast Austria and neighboring regions, is a popular salad dressing with a unique feature: its color shifts between green and red based on oil film thickness, a phenomenon known as dichromatism. This mystery was only solved in 2007.
Color is defined by three traits: saturation, brightness, and hue. While saturation and brightness depend on liquid thickness and concentration, hue is determined by the liquid’s material properties. For instance, blood is always red due to hemoglobin, regardless of dilution. However, pumpkin seed oil defies this norm.
Pumpkin seed oil’s dual color arises from its absorption of specific light wavelengths and the human eye’s varying sensitivity to colors. When white light passes through the oil, it absorbs all colors except green (around 520 nanometers) and red (around 650 nanometers). Despite absorbing green more strongly, the red appears brighter due to its intensity.
In thin layers, the oil transmits a broader range of green wavelengths. However, since light absorption increases with thickness, the intensity of red and green is only slightly reduced. Combined with the human eye’s heightened sensitivity to green, the oil appears green.
In thick layers, more green wavelengths are transmitted, but their intensity drops significantly compared to red. This dimming effect, coupled with the eye’s sensitivity, makes the oil appear red instead of green.
