Basic Facts:
Word Origin
The word pumpkin comes from The British Pumpion which came from the French word Pompon, which came from the ancient Greek, Pepon which was also a word for a melon. You can see how words change similar to the proverbial line of 100 people whispering the same sentence one at a time in the next persons ear.
The name of the Genus is Cucurbita and the pumpkin is considered a fruit.
When did the first pumpkin appear?
The oldest evidence, pumpkin-related seeds dating between 7000 and 5500 B.C., were found in Mexico. The pumpkin was perfect for seafaring explorers from all over the world to bring back to their countries.
How much of the world grows Pumpkins?
Pumpkins are grown in every major part of the world, for food , livestock feed and for ornamental uses like Jack 'O Lanterns. Out of the seven continents, only Antarctica is unable to produce pumpkins.
Pumpking can grow to incredible sizes.
The largest recorded pumpkin .....
Grown in Rhode Island, the world’s biggest pumpkin was shown at the Topsfield Fair of Massachusetts in 2007, weighing 1689 lbs.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Different ways to use pumpkin in cooking;
For Sweet dishes
Pumpkin is used for all kinds of cooking.
Pumpkin Pie
When was the first pumpkin pie?
The basics of pumpkin pie go back to
writings in Medivel times sometime before the 1500's.
Pumpkin was stewed with sugar and spices and
wrapped in pastry.
More on the history of pumpkin pie.
Other Pumpkin Recipes:
Pumpkin cheesecake
Plachenda (German pumpkin turnovers)
Also for savory dishes
Pumpkin used to stretch meat
Pumpkin Burgers
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Pumpkin added to a beef stew
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Roasted Pumpkin soup in the shell
They even eat the seeds?
The pumpkin seeds are roasted and eaten
sometimes salted.
Ground pumpkin seeds are used to flavor
and thicken sauces, mostly in Mexican cuisine.
Recipe for Pumpkin Seed Sauce
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How did the Jack 'O Lantern get started?
in a nutshell the Jack o' Lantern derives from the term Jack of the Lantern, who is an Irish folklore character that made a deal with the devil and the devil that went wrong. He made a deal with the devil not to take his soul so he wanders the earth with a carved out a turnip and filled it with embers given by the devil for him to see. For the full very interesting
Folk story of Jack 'O Lantern go here.
courtesy of Green Thumb International
a figurine showing Jack with his Turnip
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Future of Pumpkin
As we move towards a healthier cuisine we look at foods that are good for us.
Is pumpkin healthy for us?
Pumpkin meat is very high in carotenoids. They're what give pumpkins their orange color—but that's the least of their benefits. Carotenoids are really good at neutralizing free radicals, nasty molecules that can attack cell membranes and leave the cells vulnerable to damage.
Pumpkins are also high in lutein and zeaxanthin, which scavenge free radicals in the lens of the eye. Therefore, they may help prevent the formation of cataracts and reduce the risk of macular degeneration, a serious eye problem than usually results in blindness.
Besides carotenoids, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which are all antioxidants, pumpkins have a lot of common nutrients, like iron, zinc, and fiber. Iron, of course, is needed by red blood cells. Zinc deficiency may be related to osteoporosis of the hip and spine in older men. And fiber is important for bowel health.
A lower fat Pumpkin Pie
Crustless Pumpkin Pie
Recipes and Links
Links and acknowledgements
Online Etymology dictionary
The Penguin Companion to Food
Alan Davidson
Feeding America
Wikipedia
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