From Jack O’ Lanterns and pumpkin pie to Cinderella and Camarão na moranga, pumpkins and winter squash have captured the attention of chefs, farmers, and everyday people around the world. At SESE, we love the stories and flavors that come with heirloom pumpkins and winter squash. In honor of the season, we decided to delve deeper into these amazing plants including bits of history, history, and culinary uses.
Pumpkin Versus Winter Squash
What is the difference between pumpkin and winter squash? Are they the same species?
All winter squash and pumpkins are members of the Cucurbita genus, which means “cover” in Latin. Depending on who you talk to, there are 13 to 30 species in this genus. The important ones we are talking about Curcurbita pepo, C. maxima, C. moschataagain C. mixta.
Pumpkins are generally what we call pumpkin-shaped winter squash, although they come in many different shapes and sizes. Although there are several “pumpkins” of these types, people usually come Curcurbita pepo Halloween pumpkins.
Curcurbita pepo it contains winter delicata squash, most summer squash and zucchini varieties, and classic fall pumpkins like the Connecticut Field Pumpkin and the small Sugar Pumpkin. These squashes are often susceptible to vine borer damage, and winter squashes and pumpkins do not have a very long shelf life. However, they quickly become interesting.
C. maxima contains many large, hard-shelled varieties that are good for preserving, such as Big Max Pumpkin, Buttercup, Rouge Vif d’Etampes (Cinderella) Pumpkin, and Candy Roaster varieties. They have tender flesh and excellent flavor but do best when the nights are cool and easy to eat.
C. moschata includes many long-time favorites, such as Magic Cushaw, Seminole Pumpkin, Old Fashioned Tennessee, and Butternut varieties. These varieties tend to have a sweet, often aromatic flesh that is good for baking. They are also resistant to vine borer and cucumber beetle but do best in areas where night temperatures are consistently above 60°F.
IC. mixta (Also known as C. argyrosperma) is usually coarse, slightly delicious meat. They are southern plants that are no longer popular. Their large seeds are often roasted well, and their flesh is excellent in savory dishes. We carry two varieties, Cushaw-Green-Striped Cushaw and Illinois (White Crookneck Pumpkin). Love moschata varieties, these have excellent resistance to vine borers and cucumber beetles. They are also drought tolerant.
The Origin of Winter Squash
So, where do these types come from? By world standards, i Cucurbita the species is new to the scene, dating back to the Holocene, a geological period that began about 11,700 years ago. Scientists believe that in the wild, they probably originated in what is now southern Mexico, southern South America, and northern what is now the Southwestern United States. During the Holocene, megafauna ate fruits and dispersed seeds.
People were quick to see the benefits of these species, and there is evidence that Native Americans domesticated Cucurbita species at least 8,000 years ago, with different groups growing different species from southern Canada down to western South America.
C. pepo it is widespread, and domesticated crops such as yellow crooknecks, pumpkins, and scallops may be ancient. They may have been domesticated several times and places. The natives have grown up C. pepo in Oaxaca, Mexico, 8,000 to 10,000 years and in the United States at least 4,000 years.
C. maxima it wasn’t that common. This variety has been cultivated for at least 4,000 years in South America and was probably first domesticated in Argentina or Uruguay. Interestingly, it seems that these varieties were not present in North America until the 16th century, although the Native Americans quickly adapted them. C. pepo species.
C. moschata it has been very challenging for scientists to suppress. It may have originated in many regions of Central or South America, although it is known to have existed for 4,000 to 6,000 years in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Peru. Native Americans were growing up one of our favorites C. myou are getting married species, the Seminole Pumpkin, during European contact.
IC. argyrosperma is also less widespread than C. Pepo. The wild form grows from Mexico south to Nicaragua. Native Americans spread this species from the Southwest United States south to Panama, probably focusing on it for its large seeds, which are high in protein and fat.
Over the years, people have continued to cultivate winter squash varieties and incorporate them into their cultures and cuisines around the world. However, all the staples and many varieties we know and love, such as Connecticut Field Pumpkins, Yellow Crookneck Summer Squash, and Seminole pumpkins, started with native farmers.
Myths & Traditions
It’s easy to see that these large, colorful plants often catch the eye. It’s hard to imagine at the beginning of the season how much food a few plants can produce. Native Americans used them as a staple crop, often drying in mats or spirals in the winter.
They also used them as medicine. The Cherokee and Menominee reportedly used squash seeds as a diuretic, the Catawba chewed them for kidney problems, and the Aztecs used them to treat worms. The Mayans also used pumpkin juice as an ingredient for burning.
European colonists and explorers soon added pumpkins and squash to their gardens and traditions. They also sent the seeds to the old world, where large, colorful squashes were incorporated into local foods and medicines.
In many cultures in the Americas and abroad, pumpkins and winter squashes were associated with fertility and abundance, perhaps because of their productive nature.
Although it is impossible to pinpoint the fascination with pumpkins, it still exists in today’s stories and legends. Especially during the fall season, you may come across these plants in stories like Cinderella, The Tale of Sleeping Beauty, The Wonderful Land of Oz, and The Great Pumpkin.
Jack O’ Lanterns
So when did we start carving, and why? The tradition begins in Ireland and Scotland with the Celtic festival of Samhain. Like Halloween, it marked the beginning of the colder months and was usually celebrated on November 1st. People believed that at Samhain, the world of the gods was visible to people and that souls who died in the previous year would pass on to another world while others would return to visit their old homes.
Samhain was also associated with the legend of Stingy Jack. He was a drunkard who liked to play tricks on his family and friends. One day, he also plays the devil’s trick. When Jack finally comes through, both god and devil chase him away. He was condemned to wander the earth forever.
In Ireland, people began carving faces into tennis balls for Jack’s wandering soul. When the Irish and Scottish colonists first arrived in North America, they found the perfect place for the turnip, the pumpkin. Pumpkins are very easy to carve and give off an attractive orange glow. No wonder they stuck!
Pumpkin and Winter Squash Recipes Around the World
In the United States, we tend to focus on pumpkins and winter squash in delicious, seasonal foods like pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice lattes, and other baked goods. However, pumpkins and winter squash are amazing in a variety of recipes from around the world. Consider trying a few of these with your crop to mix things up a bit:
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