These Pumpkin Recipes Will Have You Rethinking Fall Dining (2024)

FAQs

What cultures use pumpkin? ›

Made with only one ingredient: pumpkin. Each bulk can of Libby's Pumpkin contains only one ingredient - pumpkin. Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin has been a favorite for pumpkin pies, rolls, and baked goods for more than 75 years.

Pumpkin innards, the stringy orange mess which you scoop out with a spoon ahead of carving, can be roasted, or pureed for cooking in soups.

Once cultivation altered the pumpkin enough to make it palatable, American Indians used every bit of the plant—seeds, flesh, flowers, and leaves. Pumpkins and squashes of all sorts could be baked or roasted whole in a fire, cut up and boiled, added to soups and stews, or made into porridge and pudding.

Scientists believe that pumpkins originated in North America about 9000 years ago. The oldest pumpkin seeds have been found in Mexico and date back to somewhere between 7000-5550 B.C.. Pumpkins (along with other forms of squash) were a historically important food staple among Native Americans.

Native American Indians used pumpkin as an important part of their diets many years before the Pilgrims landed. Native Americans enjoyed the inner pulp of the pumpkin baked, boiled, roasted and dried. They added the blossoms to soups, turned dried pumpkin pieces into rich flour, and ate the seeds as a tasty snack.

One cup of canned pumpkin, for example, contains 137 calories but provides more than 200 percent of the daily value for vitamin A, 36 percent of vitamin K, 25 percent of fiber and 22 percent of vitamin E. It's also a good source of vitamin B6, vitamin C, magnesium, riboflavin, iron and potassium.

Canned pumpkin (labeled as "100% pure pumpkin") is a purée of pumpkin that is sometimes mixed with other kinds of winter squash. It is unsweetened and does not contain any added spices. Canned pumpkin and pumpkin puree are the same thing, and you'll often see the terms used interchangeably in recipes and cookbooks.

Pumpkin is rich in fiber and contains prebiotics, which can help improve digestive system health and bowel movement. It may help relieve constipation and diarrhea in some people. However, if constipation or diarrhea persists, a person should consult a doctor.

Which part of the pumpkin can I eat? You can eat all of the pumpkin - except for its stalk. Whether you can eat the skin or not depends on the variety. Smaller varieties such as onion squash have deliciously edible skin, the skin of larger varieties may be too tough to eat or less than appealing.

Should you throw away pumpkin guts? ›

To ensure your home plumbing system remains trouble-free, follow these effective strategies. Dispose of pumpkin guts in the trash. You may want to flush pumpkin guts down the toilet or put them down the kitchen sink.

Puree your pulp on its own and add it to canned pumpkin puree to boost flavor in pumpkin recipes like pumpkin bread. You may also add the puree directly to foods like oatmeal, rice and risotto, hummus and butter—for pumpkin butter.

The strings actually have a really big job. My friend Lydia Tymon is a plant pathologist. That means she is like a doctor for plants—and she was happy to hear about your question. The pumpkin's strings, or fibrous strands, help the seeds get something important while the pumpkin is growing on the vine: nutrients.

But while Americans see this odd orange squash as a symbol of Halloween jack-o-lanterns or Thanksgiving dessert, many other cultures use pumpkins for a variety of other purposes. In countries from South Africa to Afghanistan, pumpkins are a staple in soups, stews, and even fried dishes.

Summary: Modern Pumpkin Symbolism

Over history, its meaning in America extended from the sign of God's providence and abundance, through symbolism of two holidays and a way to return to nature to finally a combination of national values.

The Beijinger also recommends some fusion dishes to try for Thanksgiving, such as muffins, pancakes, cakes, and buns. It's no wonder then that not only does China consume the most pumpkins in the world, it also produces the most pumpkins as well, says Nation Master.

The pepitas were cherished by the Aztecs, and the entire fruit was enjoyed by the Mayans – pumpkin flesh was cooked into sauces, the hulled seeds were toasted and ground up and the rinds were carved into drinking vessels.