By Alex Rodman, Staff Writer
This fall when you’re sipping your pumpkin spice latte and enjoying a slice of savory pumpkin pie, you may hear rumors circulating that the key canned pumpkin ingredient is just a mixture of various winter squash, containing no pumpkin at all. At this moment you may be saying to yourself “my life is a lie” as you begin to ponder the thought that you are actually eating a squash pie and drinking a squash spice latte.
But consider this the debunkin’ of the pumpkin. Pumpkin puree is in fact made of 100 percent pumpkin. The catch is, it’s not the type of pumpkin that we are all used to seeing. Most puree is made up of Dickinson pumpkin — the ugly duckling of the gourd family, dissimilar to the typical jack-o-lantern carved by millions each fall.
At the root of the conflict is the Food and Drug Administration, though it is only partially to blame. The FDA allows the interchangeable use of the terms pumpkin and squash. So companies may sell products labeled “pumpkin” that are actually mixtures of various squash. To most of us this may seem morally wrong, but truthfully there is no botanical definition separating a pumpkin and a squash. Considering this, pumpkins CAN actually be classified as types of squash (as if the topic wasn’t confusing enough).
After much research, information from Libby’s (https://www.verybestbaking.com/articles/libbys-story) explains that Libby’s pumpkin puree — which accounts for 90 percent of the United States pumpkin puree sales — is made up of 100 percent Dickinson squash, labeled as Dickinson pumpkin. The renown company is praised for its pumpkins’ moist, creamy consistency made from its proprietary Dickinson strand that physically resembles a butternut squash. The majority of the classic, orange, round squash that we call pumpkins are surprisingly stringy and watery; not the qualities we desire in our favorite fall treats.
That is why Dickinson pumpkin and alternate squash are often used to add density and sweetness while capturing the distinct pumpkin spice zest we all crave.
So no, your beloved pumpkin puree is NOT made up of mysterious winter squash. But considering the fine, almost nonexistent, line that separates pumpkins and squash, it is a reasonable mistake.
This Thanksgiving, when you’re breaking out old Grandma Linda’s family pumpkin pie recipe, try your hand at making your own organic pumpkin puree, or forget the labels and accept the fact that the canned puree, whether it’s made up of pumpkin, squash or both, is delicious!
Wonder what a Dickinson pumpkin looks like? Here’s a Google image search!
Junior Alex Rodman can be reached at rodmanal0704@daretolearn.org.
