The Pumpkin King
We have entered the season now where pumpkins are everywhere. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin carving, pumpkin lattes, and pumpkin spice EVERYTHING! And for some people it feels basic and over done, but pumpkin is popular for a reason. But the big question is when did pumpkins get so popular? And why? This giant orange fruit chilling on a vine doesn’t give me the vibe of something mega delicious. I mean sure they are cute and colorful, but have you ever dismembered one? It is a lot of work! And even once you finished the battle of taking them apart, who thought that this would be good in a pie with whip cream or that it should be put in coffee (Not physically but flavour-wise). Well, let’s dive into the guts of pumpkin history and figure out why it is such a staple in our culture today!
Pumpkins are believed to have been discovered in South America over 7,000 years ago! Though they were far from the pumpkins we are used to. Through cross breeding and genetic modifications, we now have our big, beautiful orange pumpkins. There are also red, pink, white, green, blue, yellow, smooth, lumpy, big, and tiny!
Pumpkins are incredibly versatile being edible right down to the seeds. Roasted and salted pumpkin seeds are such a treat that many of us grew up with in this season. A long-awaited tradition of carving pumpkins and roasting the seeds. Ah fall, you have got to love it! We have also somehow crafted pumpkins into bread, muffins, pie, drinks, stews, soups, and so much more. The use for pumpkins sometimes seems endless.
Speaking of pumpkin carving, the history of the jack-o-lantern is a very fascinating one. It comes from the legend of Stingy Jack. Long story short, to keep stingy Jack away people would put out lanterns carved with faces to deter him from entering the property. This tradition started with large turnips and potatoes, but when the Irish travelled to America and the Americans joined in on the traditions, they started carving the faces into pumpkins, some places even carved pineapples!
Enjoy your pumpkin season everyone!