Pumpkins
The pumpkin is actually not a vegetable, but a fruit – a member of the gourd family (Cucurbitacae), which includes melons, marrows, squashes, gherkins and cucumbers. Like tomatoes and potatoes, it is now completely assimilated into our cuisine, and is seen as a typical part of the Mediterranean diet; like tomatoes and potatoes, though, pumpkins are wholly American in origin. They originated in Central America, progressed throughout North America, and became a staple food of the indigenous peoples there. Early settlers from Europe noted how they would roast strips of pumpkin on open fires for eating, and dry strips in the sun for weaving into mats. These settlers, pressed for food, took to the pumpkin too. The origin of the famed American pumpkin pie is in the early method of slicing off the top of the pumpkin, removing the seeds, filling the centre with milk, spices and honey, and then baking it whole in the hot ashes of a dying fire.
In 1584, the French explorer Jacques Cartier reported that in the St Lawrence region of North America, he found gros melons. Pumpkin seeds were transported to Europe by these 16th century travellers, and pumpkins slowly but inevitably found their way into the diet, as they were easy to grow (they grow on all continents bar Antarctica, even in Alaska) and were not treated with suspicion – unlike tomatoes and potatoes – because they bore a strong similarity to the gourds already grown in Europe.
The word ‘pumpkin’ comes from the Greek pepon, which means ‘large melon’, an understandable comparison given that they come from the same family and bear a strong exterior and interior resemblance. The French nasalized the word into pompom, and the English mutated it further, to pompion or pumpion. This term dated back to the 16th century and the arrival of this fruit in Europe. Eventually, the word was corrupted and Anglicized to pumpkin. It is unclear when the pumpkin made it to Malta and into the national diet. Potatoes and tomatoes did not get here until the 19th century, and are now part and parcel of our cooking. How did we get by without them? Pumpkins may have got here earlier, given that they were earlier arrivals in Europe than those other two essential ingredients.
Pumpkins were perfect in pre-refrigeration days because they could be stored for months without any fussy preservation techniques. In Malta, they are left on sunny rooftops and brought in before the rains. Elsewhere, they are stored in cool, dry rooms, well away from damp, which ruled out most Maltese rural homes. The stringiness of Maltese pumpkins is caused by storage in the sun and high temperatures.
- Choose a small pumpkin, or ask for a section to be cut from the smallest pumpkin on the vendor’s stall. The smaller the pumpkin, the more flavoursome the flesh. Pumpkins should have no exterior blemishes and they should have been harvested with their stems intact.
- For extended storage, wash the exterior of the whole pumpkin with a solution of one tablespoon of bleach to a gallon of water, to disinfect and discourage mould. Dry immediately as dampness has a negative effect. If you do find mould after some weeks, wipe it off with vegetable oil and seal the spot.
- Pumpkin can be frozen – remove the exterior and the seeds first.
- Don’t throw away the seeds – roast them on a baking-sheet in the oven at a low heat, shaking occasionally to avoid burning.
- Pumpkins are a good source of vitamins and minerals, particularly beta-carotene, vitamin C and A, and potassium.
- The ‘pumpkin capital of the world’ is Morton, Illinois.
- Pumpkins are now firmly associated with Hallowe’en – 31 October or the eve of All Souls’ Day, when the dead are supposed to be up and roaming. Hallowe’en is of Celtic origin. It took on its current nature with the introduction of Christianity, when pagan feasts were tied in with Christian rituals to make them more acceptable to converts: Yule and Christmas, for example. The original Celtic feast was Samhain (pronounced sow-ain). Lanterns were carved from gourds, but as the pumpkin began to be grown in the British Isles, this replaced the gourd for the purpose. The Irish were the first to make lanterns of pumpkins, in the 19th century.
A few of Matty Cremona's pumpkin recipes
This is a good, solid meal that can be served alone or with meat. Fry an onion gently in olive oil. Peel and chop into chunks half a gourd (qara twil), some pumpkin, two large marrows, and four potatoes. Toss them with the fried onion; add a little water, some more olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme. Leave to simmer gently over a low flame for about 45 minutes.
Pumpkin ceases to be bland when roasted in olive oil. Remove the exterior, cut the flesh into wedges, and place these in a roasting-dish. Pour on olive oil, and season with salt, pepper, sugar and thyme. If you haven’t any fresh thyme, use sage, rosemary or myrtle – always the fresh variety. Put the dish into a hot oven (gas mark 7 or 8) and roast until soft and lightly browned. This should take at least 45 minutes, depending on the size of the wedges. If you like garlic, add some large cloves (whole, but peeled) at the start of the roasting process, or some chopped garlic five minutes before you remove the dish from the oven.
From Cooking With Maltese Olive Oil by Matty Cremona – available at all good book sellers at Lm5.25. The Maltese version, Tisjir Biż-Żejt Taż-Żebbuga Maltija, is also available. Call 21311 645 for trade information.