All Hail the Hallowed Pumpkin
Guido’s Pumpkin Soup & Pumpkinettes
Every wonder what Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater was doing while his wife was kept in the pumpkin shell? Well, if he was really eating pumpkins, then he knew a lot more about nutrition than he did about women.
Pumpkin, that charismatic comestible, belongs to the cucurbitaceae family, which also includes cucumbers, melons and squash. Its vibrant orange color bespeaks of ample amounts of beta carotene, a powerful antioxidant in the fight against prostate cancer and heart disease.
One cup of cooked pumpkin is a mere 49 calories, and contains 310% of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A! But, nutrition is only one of the benefits of this friendly fruit (yes, it is a fruit), and one with a long history. Seeds of related plants have been found in Mexico that date back to 5,500 BC.
After the discovery of the New World, the pumpkin began to travel and now is grown on every continent with the exception of Antarctica. People once believed it to be a cure for snake bites and freckles –I don’t know about the snake bites – but the freckle thing doesn’t work.
Every little girl knows all about Cinderella’s carriage which started out as a pompion (French for Pumpkin), and a deviation of the Greek word pepon, aptly meaning “cooked by the sun”.
We may use the term “pumpkin” or “punkin” as an endearment, but in Japan, be careful when, and to whom you speak; in Japanese slang it means an unattractive woman.
In the USA, the pumpkin is emblematic of Halloween, and the Jack O’Lantern. This custom came to America with Irish immigrants. An old Celtic legend has it that a character named Stingy Jack, who had led such an evil life, wasn’t welcomed in heaven when he died; and had so tricked the devil, he wasn’t invited down there either. So, he was destined to walk the earth, with only a lantern to light his way.
In Ireland, Jack O’Lanterns were carved out of turnips. Upon arrival here, the Irish spotted the colorful, large and easier to carve pumpkin, and a new tradition was founded. Today, supermarkets are overflowing with pumpkins craving to be carved.
If you spend time creating a macabre masterpiece, and want to prolong its life, rub the insides with Vaseline, and keep it covered with a damp towel when not on display.
For those who are ambitious, the flesh of the pumpkin can be peeled, cut into 2” chunks and microwaved for about 6-8 minutes, or until tender. Pureed, it can be used in pies, bread and soups. It also freezes very well. Those who are not so ambitious, such as yours truly, will use the canned variety.
Pumpkins have influenced people so much that there is even a word, “apocolocyposis” , for the fear of turning into a pumpkin.
I don’t know if Peter the Pumpkin Eater had aprocolocyposis, but I think if Mrs. Pumpkin Eater ever gets out of that shell, he should stop worrying about becoming a pumpkin and start worrying about being turned into a toad.