Unveiling Origins: A Deep Dive into Pumpkins and Gourds Through the Ages
In the heart of America, early colonists discovered a unique way to enjoy pumpkins, baking them in the ashes of a fire after stuffing them with a delightful mixture of milk, spices, and something sweet like honey. This tradition marked the beginning of a long-lasting love affair with hard-skinned types of Cucurbita pepo, a species native to North America.
The domestication of squash began with C. pepo, a species that indigenous peoples cultivated for thousands of years. Over time, this process led to the lengthy domestication of C. pepo, resulting in two sub-species: C. pepo subsp. pepo and C. pepo subsp. ovifera. The storing type of acorns, including the popular Table Queen variety, falls under C. pepo subsp. ovifera.
The Table Queen acorn squash, bred by the Iowa Seed Company of Des Moines, first made its appearance in the USA in 1913. Meanwhile, another member of the C. pepo sub-species is the bright orange specimens generally called a pumpkin. Pumpkin pie, a popular dish combining pumpkin flesh with dried fruits, apples, and spices, was born from this love affair with hard-skinned types of C. pepo.
As Europeans moved west, they were able to trade and cultivate squash, which formed the staple of much Native American food culture. By the second half of the sixteenth century, 'melon' was also used in English to describe pumpkins. In Britain, all large, hard-skinned squash were called 'pumpeons', which later morphed into pumpkin.
Carl Linnaeus initially considered all gourds and squash to be of the genus Cucurbita. However, Juan Ignacio Molina, a Chilean naturalist, assigned gourds their own genus Lagenaria after Linnaeus' death. The genus Lagenaria was established for gourds, not cucumbers, by the botanist Philip Miller in the 18th century, not the 19th century.
Pumpkin flesh was also used to make a type of bread or cake and fermented to make beer. In the 17th century, pumpkins had great value in the USA as animal fodder and for human consumption in extremis. By the end of the 16th century, squash became a popular food in European diets.
Edward Lewis Sturtevant suggests that the different shapes of squash led to their naming confusion. Large, round squash were called pompeons, those with hard rinds kept for winter use were known as gourds, and small round ones as melons. In the sixteenth century, round types were called pumpkins. Many so-called 'ornamental gourds' are little different genetically to wild C. pepo.
Today, we continue to enjoy the rich history and flavour of pumpkins and acorn squash in various dishes, from savoury roasts to the classic pumpkin pie. This culinary journey through time reminds us of the cultural exchange and evolution that has shaped our modern-day cuisine.
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