With Thanksgiving a few weeks away, the unmistakable aroma of pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg — a.k.a. pumpkin pie — will soon fill kitchens and dining rooms across America.
But where did this uniquely delicious dessert originate?
While different species of melon are found around the world, that bright, round, orange one we call pumpkin is native to North America and was a staple of many northeastern Native American tribes. Indigenous Americans graciously gave pumpkins as gifts to the first European colonists and taught them how to cook it.
By 1651, an early French cookbook included a recipe for “Tourte of Pumpkin”, with instructions on how to make it — with sugar, butter, salt, almonds and a pastry shell. By the late 1700s, “pumpkin puddings”, similar to what we know as pumpkin pie today, were a staple of American cooking and thanksgiving celebrations.
There is no shortage of pumpkin pie recipes — and you may very well have a family favorite passed on from generation to generation. Here’s what you’ll need for one of the yummiest we’ve found — the Southern Pumpkin Pie, which you can prepare in five minutes and that’s guaranteed to give you all those warm fall/Thanksgiving feels:
Pie Crust
- 2 Cups Flour
- 6 Tablespoons Butter
- 6 Tablespoons Lard or Shortening
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 5 Tablespoons Ice Water + more if needed
- Milk & 1 Tablespoon of Sugar – for brushing the top
Pumpkin Filling
- 1 – 16 Ounce Canned Pumpkin
- ¾ Cup Honey
- 3 Eggs
- ⅔ Cup Cream
- ½ Cup Milk
- 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ Teaspoon Ginger
- ¼ Teaspoon Nutmeg
- ¼ Teaspoon Cloves
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
To put it all together, visit here — and enjoy!
Here’s another great recipe, which — gasp — uses butternut squash instead of pumpkin. But hear Melissa Clark on this… she might just be right.
Is pumpkin pie part of your Thanksgiving tradition? Share your thoughts and suggestions with the Shop Talk community — and Happy Thanksgiving!
Did you know? Beat that, beans and corn
Indigenous North Americans have grown pumpkins for thousands of years, longer in fact than beans and corn, two other staple foods. (Source)