Almost every kid loves to help carve the jack-o'-lantern at
Halloween: digging into the squishy mush up to your elbows, pulling
out the innards, saving the seeds for toasting, and consulting with
the adult knife-wielder on the number of teeth, the shape of the eyes
and whether it should be friendly or really scary. Finally, there is
the magic of giving it life by lighting the candle and placing it on
the dark porch.
What does this have to do with food? The only other time the word
pumpkin enters our vocabulary is on that other holiday, but that pie
stuff comes out of a can. Doesn't it? Once upon a time, these orange
orbs were an important winter food for the Native Americans, who
passed them on to the pilgrims, who then used them in a wide variety
of recipes, from soups to stews.
The origin of pumpkin pie is thought to have occurred when the
colonists sliced off the pumpkin top, removed the seeds, and then
filled it with milk, spices and honey. The pumpkin was then baked in
the hot ashes of a dying fire. In other parts of the world, pumpkins
are a standard vegetable: Latin American cooks use them in
casseroles; Russian cooks combine pumpkins, fruits and meats, and
African cooks use them in many stews and curries.
Pumpkins are an excellent source of vitamin A and potassium --
half a cup of canned pumpkin has three times the recommended daily
requirement of vitamin A. Today, the seeds are considered to be
helpful in maintaining prostate health.
Did you know that the largest pumpkin ever grown weighed 1,140
pounds, and the biggest pumpkin pie ever made was over five feet in
diameter, weighed over 350 pounds and took six hours to bake?
Large pumpkins, called field pumpkins, do not make for good
eating. For cooking, you want the smaller varieties, some of which
are known as sugar pumpkins. They have a finer-grained flesh and a
sweeter, more delicate flavor. Not all small pumpkins are sugar
pumpkins, so ask at the market. If nobody knows what you're talking
about, just use one of the small ones. They make an adequate
substitute.
When buying sugar pumpkins, look for bright orange color and be
sure the stem is still attached, as it prevents spoilage. In order to
prepare them for cooking, cut off the top and bottom, then cut down
under the skin from top to bottom, working your way around the
pumpkin as if you were cutting off the skin of an orange. Halve the
pumpkin and scrape out the seeds and pulp. Cut into pieces according
to the recipe.
