Cooking with pumpkins

Autumn brings with it a surfeit of pumpkins. Make the most of them while they are fresh and new, writes Matty Cremona.

  • Pumpkin seeds contain potassium and vitamin A
  • The pumpkin is a native of Central America, and was first brought to Europe by the Spanish Conquistadors in the late 16th century
  • The early European settlers of Central and North America – the Pilgrim Fathers – were forced to make the most of whatever foodstuffs they found in their new home, even if it meant changing their eating habits. They noticed an abundance of turkeys and pumpkins, which were strange to them but which the Native Americans used as dietary staples, and they followed suit. This is why the traditional American Thanksgiving dinner is composed of pumpkin pie and turkey.
  • In early colonial times in North America, pumpkin was used as a dough ingredient for the crust of pies, rather than for the filling.
  • 90 per cent of all pumpkins sold in the USA are used to make Jack O’ lanterns.
  • The immigrant Irish took the custom of making Jack O’ lanterns on All Souls Eve (31 October, known as Hallowe’en) with them to the USA in the 19th and 20th centuries. In Ireland, large turnips were traditionally used, but in the USA, the Irish found generously-sized pumpkins, which were much better suited to the purpose. From the USA, this originally Irish custom was re-exported to Europe.
  • The early colonists of North America sliced off the tops of pumpkins, removed the seeds and stringy parts, and poured in milk with spices and honey. The ‘lid’ was replaced, and the whole thing was baked in hot embers.
  • The pumpkin is not a vegetable, but the fruit of the gourd Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita mixta or Cucurbita moschata.
  • Native Americans dried strips of pumpkin and wove them into mats. They roasted long strips of pumpkin on open fires, and ate them.
September beauty