R eferences 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."
Native Americans dried strips of pumpkin and wove them into mats. They also roasted long strips of pumpkin on the open fire and ate them. The origin of pumpkin pie occurred when the colonists sliced off the pumpkin top, removed the seeds, and filled the insides with milk, spices and honey. The pumpkin was then baked in hot ashes.
◊ ¼ cups pumpkin puree, canned or fresh
◊ ¾ cup sugar
◊ ½ teaspoon salt
◊ ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
◊ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
◊ 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
◊ 2 eggs, lightly beaten
◊ 1 cup evaporated milk, undiluted
◊ 2 tablespoons water
◊ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
◊ 1 unbaked pastry shell (9-inch)
Combine pumpkin, sugar, salt, spices, and flour in a medium mixing bowl. Add eggs; mix well. Add evaporated milk, water, and vanilla; mix well. Pour into pastry-lined pie pan. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350° and bake about 35 minutes longer, or until center is set.
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