The History of Pumpkin Pie
It’s hard to imagine Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie. But pumpkin isn’t something we normally eat. So how did it become so important in a pie at Thanksgiving?
Here are some guesses:
- Pumpkins were left over from Halloween and we had to do something with them.
- We grew tired of squash and wanted something different….and sweet.
- It was a practical joke and ended up tasting pretty good.
The actual reason is interesting and with a rich history.
The Origin
Pumpkins date back to 5,500 B.C., cultivated in Central America. In fact, they were one of the first things the European explorers brought back from their travels. First mentioned in about 1536 as “orange gourds.” First called pumpions, the pumpkin became part of England’s pie-making culture, which was in full swing with all kinds of sweet and savory ingredients.
Using pumpkin was a way to make bread without much flour but it wasn’t always popular. However, in 1653 there was a recipe published by the French chef Francois Pierre la Varenne that instructs readers to boil pumpkin in milk and add it into a crust. Later in England in 1670, a writer named Hannah Woolley wrote about a pie containing pumpkin, apple, and herbs such as rosemary and thyme. Pumpkin pies grew in popularity in New England during the 18th century and became part of the traditional Thanksgiving feast. And in 1705, a town in Connecticut postponed their Thanksgiving celebration by a week because there wasn’t enough molasses to make an adequate number of pumpkin pies.
Pumpkin pie recipes are as numerous as the pumpkins’ appearance are varied. A recipe published in the first American cookbook published, “American Cookery”, in 1796 was very similar to the custard version we all know today.
From there, pumpkin pie rose to greatness being featured in novels, papers, and on Thanksgiving tables across the New World. Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, during which the common two foods were turkey and pumpkin pie. And in 1929 Libby’s meat-canning company in Chicago introduced canned pumpkin, which opened up the dish for those who didn’t want to spend the time to cook, strain, and mash their own pumpkins. The rest is history…
Comment with your favorite pumpkin pie recipe and favorite Thanksgiving memory. Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Bronson Heritage Chiropractic.