20 Things You Didn’t Know About Pumpkins

20 Things You Didn’t Know About Pumpkins

The word “pumpkin” originates from “peopon” which translates to “large melons in Greek. It later evolved to “pompon” in French and “pumpion” in British before being called “pumpkin” by the Americans, until today we use the name pumpkin. They are a type of winter squash and belong to the genus Cucurbita which includes cucumbers and melons. This makes them automatically a part of the gourd family. These orange gourds have a long history dating back to 9000 years ago. The oldest pumpkin seeds have been found in the Oaxaca Highland of Mexico and date back to somewhere between 7000-5550 B.C. Therefore, we have compiled some fascinating facts about these tasty squashes today. Be prepared to be amazed.

1. Pumpkins are actually fruits

Pumpkins are assumed to be vegetables yet; they are actually fruits since they can be obtained from flowering plants. They are a member of the guard family, which includes cucumbers, watermelons, squash, cantaloupe and zucchini. Therefore, pumpkin usually refers to the genus Cucurbita. Since pumpkins are fruits it makes them one of the versatile ingredients you can use. They can be used in savoury dishes as well as sweet ones.

2. There are 45 different varieties of pumpkins

A picture with variety of pumpkins. George Chernilevsky, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The round orange pumpkin is the most known pumpkin around the world. There are other 45 different varieties of pumpkins that come in different shapes, sizes and colours like red, yellow and green. They also have names like Hooligan, Cotton Candy, and Orange Smoothie. Some of the cleverly named pumpkin varietals include; Cinderella pumpkins which look like they are about to magically transform into a carriage hence the name Cinderella, Jack o’ Lantern which are best for carving and easiest for beginners to grow, the Kauai which is great for toasting since they contain seeds that are completely hull-less, Halloween in Paris from France and the Wee-Be- Little a miniature pumpkin.

3. Pumpkins are 90% water

A little-known fact about the pumpkin is that they contain mainly water. Nearly 80 to 90 % of the internal composition of the pumpkin is just water. That may be the reason why they are so heavy. They can be so healthy to eat because of the high content of water and also being low in calories. Therefore, pumpkins need more water nearly sixteen gallons so that they can grow and thrive just like other fruits and vegetables.

4. Pumpkins can be huge

A huge pumpkin at the pumpkinfest. Whpq, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The average pumpkin weighs between 6 to 18 pounds. However, the largest pumpkin ever grown was 2,582 pounds. It was presented in the Guinness World Records on October 12, 2014. The man who grew this massive gourd won $ 6,000 for his first-place pumpkin. The biggest pumpkins usually belong to the species Cucurbita maxima. These kinds of pumpkins weigh roughly 75 pounds.

5. They were once believed to cure freckles and snakebites

Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites. It’s not proven whether pumpkins can cure freckles but the beta-carotene in pumpkins helps to reverse UV damage and improve uneven skin pigmentation. It is not also known whether the pumpkin flesh was to be smeared topically or eaten but either way, they don’t actually help a snake bite.

6. They take time to grow

If you want the pumpkins to grow by October you should start growing pumpkins by the spring because it can take between 90 to 120 days for them to grow. So, the pumpkins need to start sprouting by June so as to have a perfectly orange pumpkin in the fall. Therefore, pumpkins are planted between May and July. Nearly 80% of the pumpkin in the U.S is usually available during the month of October.

7. Pumpkins are the old domesticated plants

A picture of a pumpkin stand. Donald Trung, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pumpkins have been around for at least the last 5000 years. They first originated from North and Central America before they managed to spread across all of Europe and so many other places. The oldest pumpkins seed were discovered in the Oaxaca Highlands of Mexico around 7000 B.C. Based on the archaeological evidence, the pumpkins have been cultivated since around 3500 BC qualifying it as one of oldest known crops in the Western hemisphere.

8. Pollination takes place with the help of a bee

The Center for Pollinator Research acknowledged that honey bees, bumble bees, squash bees and wild bees contribute to pollination in pumpkin female flowers. The female flowers are receptive to pollen for only about four hours. When fours are over and pollination was successful the pumpkin will continue to swell and grow. But when pollination was unsuccessful perhaps due to lack of time then the pumpkin will shrive and fall. The male and female flowers both bloom in the morning.

9. Pumpkins grow in a lot of places all over the world

A pumpkin farm. JoachimKohler-HB, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pumpkins are the easiest fruits that you can find, unlike other fruits and vegetables which only grow well in certain areas. Pumpkins are native to Central America, Mexico specifically. However, they are now produced in many different countries, including China, India, Russia, Ukraine, the United States, Japan and Canada. China is the leading producer of pumpkins followed by India. Even though they’ve been important in American pop culture, the US isn’t in the top 5 producers of pumpkins but stands at number 8.

10. Pumpkins were used as medicine

They were used as traditional medicine because of the high concentrations of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants found in pumpkins. The seeds were used to get rid of the tapeworms and it was believed that the flesh of the pumpkins could cure snake bites and toothaches. Currently, we know pumpkins can help improve hearing, vision, boost immunity and fight inflammation.

11. National Pumpkin Day

It is celebrated every October 26^th of the year. National Pumpkin Day is celebrated with favoured autumn decorations and food. They not only make great fall decorations but also complete a variety of tasty recipes. On this unofficial holiday, you can be able to carve your pumpkin so that it can be ready for Halloween on the 31^st of October.

12. Pumpkins are very nutritional

Sarbjit Bahga, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

With just a bowl of mashed pumpkin, one can be able to get a whopping 245% of your recommended daily intake of Vitamin A, plus 19% of vitamin C and 8% of your iron. The pumpkin seeds are tiny as they contain so many key nutrients, including protein, magnesium, zinc, manganese and copper. The seeds also are a powerful source of fibre and compounds that can help lower cholesterol levels. To get all these benefits from the pumpkin seeds it’s best to eat them raw or add them to salads, granola or yoghurt.

13. Pumpkins are great food for dogs and cats

As we know that pumpkins have lots of benefits, they can also be great food for dogs and cats. The pumpkin puree is often recommended for dogs and cats that are suffering from digestive issues such as constipation, diarrhoea, or hairballs. The high fibre in the fruit aids with their digestion. But be careful because they are not issued to them without checking with your vet.

14. All parts of the pumpkin are edible

All parts of the pumpkin can be eaten including; seeds, stem, leaves, flowers, the interior and the fleshy shell. In Zambia as well as other countries people make orange maize pumpkin leaves porridge in order to prevent malnutrition. Some Korean dishes also involve wrapping pumpkin leaves in a piece of meat. The flowers are a perfect addition to a field greens salad or they can be enjoyed dipped in a light batter and fried. Pumpkins can be baked, roasted, steamed or boiled to make various dishes.

15. They are carved into Jack-O’-Lanterns during Halloween

Pumpkin lanterns. Robert Davis, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

The traditional practice of carving pumpkins originated in Ireland. The Irish would carve the jack-o-lanterns out of turnips in order to scare away Jack who was an evil spirit left to roam the earth with an ember inside a hollow pumpkin to guide him. The carved pumpkins are used to scare away Jack and other evil spirits on Earth during the Celtic holiday. In 1819 Washington Irving featured a mysterious jack-O’-Lanterns in his story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” which may have led to the carved pumpkin’s popular association with Halloween.

16. They are served during the first Thanksgiving dinner in 1621

Pumpkins were a staple in the Native American diet and therefore, they brought the pumpkins as gifts to the first settlers who were the Pilgrims. The Native Americans taught the pilgrims how to cultivate and cook this squashy orange fruit. After 50 years later pumpkin pies are served after Thanksgiving dinner in America up to date.

17. The Guinness World Record presented the largest pumpkin pie

In 2005 the Guinness World Record presented the largest pumpkin pie which was made at the New Bremen Pumpkinfest in Ohio by the New Breman Giant Pumpkin Growers. They really made a huge pie; 20 feet wide and weighing 3,699 pounds. It used 1,212 pounds of canned pumpkin, 525 pounds of sugar, 2,796 eggs and 440 sheets of dough to make the pie.  

18. Raw pumpkins can be fed to poultry

pumpkins. Roger Ahlbrand from Toronto, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A 3.5-ounce of raw pumpkin contains about 26 kilocalories of food energy, 92% water, 6.5 carbohydrates, 1% proteins, and only 0.1% fat. Therefore, these can be used as a good supplement for poultry during the winter in order to help maintain egg production, which usually drops off during the cold months.

19. China is the largest producer of pumpkins in the world

China grew 8.4 million tonnes of pumpkin in 2019, and up to today they produce 8,186,851 tonnes per year. India comes second with 5,569,806 tonnes of yearly production. Ukraine comes the third largest producer of pumpkin with 1,338,000 tonnes of production per year. Forth in place is Russia with 1.2 million tons of production per year and fifth in place is the USA with 1 million tons of production per year.

20. Pumpkin seed oil is used as a culinary oil in many places

The pumpkin seed oil appears red or green and has a very nutty taste. They are generally used as a salad dressing and they are enriched in fatty acids. The pumpkin seed oil can also be used to relieve menopause. According to the National Library of Medicine, these pumpkin seed oil supplements can be used to reduce hot flashes, joint pain, and headaches that are experienced during menopause. It can increase high-density lipoproteins (HDL) levels too.