PUMPKIN TOWNE

The seeds from which pumpkins evolved are believed to originate from North America. The word pumpkin originated from the Greek word “pepon” which means large melon. The word gradually morphed through multiple languages until it turned into “pumpkin” by American colonists.

 

For centuries the pumpkin was consumed and used in many ways by Native Americans. They would cook the flesh of the pumpkin by roasting, baking, boiling and drying it. They also ate the seeds of the pumpkin and sometimes used them as medicine. The shells they could dry and use as containers to store grain and other staples. It is possible they also pounded and dried the pumpkin fibers, to weave into mats. The many uses of pumpkin helped the Native Americans, and later the Pilgrims, through cold winters.

 

Early European explorers brought pumpkin seeds back with them where they were used as a source of food for animals. For the settlers that arrived in America, the pumpkin quickly became a staple in their diets. Over the years since, the pumpkin has been used in a growing number of recipes from desserts to soups.