Pumpkin

History

Pumpkins hold the distinction of being among the oldest domesticated plants in the Western Hemisphere, with archaeological evidence of cultivation in Mexico's Oaxaca Valley dating back 7,500-10,000 years—predating the domestication of corn and beans. For Native American peoples, pumpkins were invaluable: the flesh provided food, dried strips served as storage provisions for winter, seeds offered protein and oil, and the dried shells became containers, bowls, and even musical instruments. The word "pumpkin" derives from the Greek "pepon" (large melon), which became the French "pompon," then the English "pumpion," and finally the American "pumpkin." Early colonists adopted pumpkins enthusiastically; they appeared at the first Thanksgiving and quickly became associated with harvest festivals. The jack-o'-lantern tradition came from Irish immigrants who originally carved turnips for Halloween, switching to the larger, easier-to-carve pumpkins abundant in America. The story of Stingy Jack, who was doomed to wander with only a carved turnip lit by a coal from hell, merged with American pumpkin abundance to create our Halloween tradition. Pumpkin pie became a Thanksgiving staple by the early 1800s, though early colonial recipes differed dramatically—some versions were essentially stewed pumpkin with spices in a hollowed-out shell. The giant pumpkin competition culture emerged in the 20th century, with Atlantic Giant varieties now routinely exceeding 2,000 pounds. Today, pumpkins generate over $600 million annually in the United States, though ironically the "pumpkin" in most canned pumpkin pie filling is actually Dickinson squash—a tan-skinned Cucurbita moschata variety more closely related to butternut.