A Little Bit of History..

Pumpkins are believed to have originated in North America, although seeds from related plants have been found in Mexico that date back as far as 7000 to 5500 B.C. References to pumpkins date back many centuries, with the name pumpkin originating from the Greek word for pepon, which means  large melon. Pepon was changed by the French into pompon and from there the English changed it to pumpion. American colonists changed pumpion into pumpkin, hence the term we are familiar with today.

Much like Easter eggs and mince pies, pumpkins only come to peoples minds once a
year at Halloween when they come alive as Jack-O-Lanterns. Originally an ancient festival rooted in Celtic folklore, Halloween was first celebrated by the British and Irish who lit bonfires and carved ghoulish faces out of turnips to scare off the evil spirits that were said to be roaming around on 31^st  October. When the Irish emigrated to America in the mid-1800s, pumpkins, which are native to the New World , were more readily available and so the Irish took to carving these instead. The Americans made the Jack-O-Lantern an essential part of the Halloween season we now look forward to - or dread - each year.

Although the British have been quick to take up trick-or-treating at Halloween, we seem more reluctant to see the merits of the pumpkin as a culinary object. This hard-skinned, densely-fleshed vegetable has a wonderful earthy taste but its magic lies in its ability to take on whatever flavours you throw at it. Roasting the cubed flesh makes for a satisfying supper as does filling pasta with the richly flavoured pulp. The sweeter varieties are perfect pie-fillers and most can be made into hearty soups. Warm spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger go particularly well with pumpkin, as do herbs such as sage and rosemary.

Denis Cotter, chef and proprietor of Cafe Paradiso which is based in Ireland , is highly praiseworthy of the humble pumpkin. In his book, Paradiso Seasons, he says, It would strain my imagination beyond capacity to produce menus through autumn and winter without pumpkins. Creating dishes from them seems so full of possibilities. The colour alone is reason enough to include pumpkins on a plate. With this in mind, why not try out one of the delicious pumpkin recipes that we have included on this website by following the links from the pumpkin recipes page.