Pumpkins are the talk of the town during the holidays…at least in my mind. We love this deep orange fall vegetable for so many reasons. Pumpkins are what we call “the whole package”. This festive vegetable is decorative (external features/looks) and cooked (internal features/substance) in a variety of tasty and healthy ways for everyone to enjoy and make all sorts of weird noises from pumpkin-induced pleasure because it’s just that great!
History: References to pumpkins date back many centuries. The name pumpkin originated from the Greek word for “large melon”, which is pepon. Pepon was nasalized by the French into “pompon.” The English changed “pompon” to “Pumpion.” Shakespeare referred to the “pumpion” in his Merry Wives of Windsor. American colonists changed “pumpion” into “pumpkin.” The pumpkin is referred to in classics like The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater and Cinderella.
Description: Pumpkin has vines that can grow up to 25 feet long. It has big and yellow flowers. Its fruit is large, greenish to bright orange, and contains several flat seeds. Pumpkins have a thick shell on the outside, with seeds and pulp on the inside. Their seeds are small, flat, green, edible, have tons of protein and are called pepita. Pumpkins are now grown in warm climates worldwide, but mainly in North America.
Pumpkin Nutrition Facts (1 cup cooked, boiled, drained, without salt)
-Calories 49
-Protein 2 grams
-Carbohydrate 12 grams
-Dietary Fiber 3 grams
-Calcium 37 mg
-Iron 1.4 mg
-Magnesium 22 mg
-Potassium 564 mg
-Zinc 1 mg
-Selenium .50 mg
-Vitamin C 12 mg
-Niacin 1 mg
-Folate 21 mcg
-Vitamin A 2650 IU
-Vitamin E 3 mg
Phytonutrients present in pumpkins are beta-sitosterol, caffeic acid, cryptoxanthin, curcubitin, cucurbitaxanthin, ferulic acid, flavoxanthin, gibberellins, kaempferol, lutein, neoxanthin, quercetin, rutinosides, and zeaxanthin. The bright orange color of the pumpkin is a dead giveaway that the pumpkin is loaded with an important antioxidant: beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is one of the carotenoids converted to vitamin A in the body. In the conversion to vitamin A, beta carotene performs many important functions in overall health. According to the University of Illinois, research indicates that a diet rich in foods containing beta-carotene may reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer and may also protect against heart disease. Beta-carotene offers protection against other diseases, as well as some degenerative aspects of aging. Pumpkin seeds (pepita) are rich in protein, iron, zinc and phosphorous and 100g of pumpkin seeds contains 29 g protein, 11.2 mg iron and 1144 mg phosphorous.
Application: When mixed with some silken tofu, little bit of agave, spices and agar agar, this vegetable can make for a fabulous vegan pumpkin cheese cake. We make vegan pumpkin ravioli, soup and bread. It is also a tasty and healthier substitute for mashed white potatoes. The seeds can be eaten raw or cooked in both sweet or savory dishes, and are delicious toasted and sprinkled over salads.
Fun fact: Did you know that 496 million pounds of pumpkins were produced in Illinois in 2008? Hmm… Interesting. I wonder what Halloween and Thanksgiving are like in Chicago…
Sources: http://urbanext.illinois.edu/pumpkins, http://www.vegsoc.org, Staying Healthy with Nutrition by Elson M. Hass, MD
