View source for Pumpkin

{{Short description|Category of culinary winter Cucurbita squashes}}
{{Other uses}}
{{pp-semi-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{pp-move|small=yes}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2020}}
[[File:FrenchMarketPumpkinsB.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|A pile of pumpkins at the [[French Market]] in New Orleans, Louisiana]]
[[File:Cucurbita 2011 G1 Large.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|A variety of pumpkin cultivars. The central and rightmost orange fruits are ''[[Cucurbita pepo]]'', all others are ''[[Cucurbita maxima]]'']]
[[File:Pumpkin Field.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|A field of giant pumpkins]]

A '''pumpkin''' is a [[cultivar|cultivated]] [[winter squash]] in the genus ''[[Cucurbita]]''.<ref name="Ferriol" /><ref name="USARS">{{Cite book |last=United States Agricultural Research Service. Crops Research Division |url=http://archive.org/details/CAT70292885 |title=Growing pumpkins and squashes [Rev. June 1969 |date=1969 |publisher=Washington, U.S. Govt. Print. Off |others=National Agricultural Library U. S. Department of Agriculture}}</ref> The term is most commonly applied to round, orange-colored squash varieties, but does not possess a scientific definition. It may be used in reference to many different squashes of varied appearance and belonging to multiple species in the ''Cucurbita'' genus.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/gardening-help-faqs.aspx?questionid=274&afmid=4462 |title=Horticulture Questions and Answers |publisher=[[Missouri Botanical Garden]] |work=Garden Help FAQ}}</ref>

The use of the word "pumpkin" is thought to have originated in [[New England]] in North America, derived from a word for [[melon]], or a native word for round. The term is sometimes used interchangeably with "[[Cucurbita|squash]]" or "winter squash", and is commonly used for some cultivars of ''[[Cucurbita argyrosperma]]'', ''[[Cucurbita ficifolia]]'', ''[[Cucurbita maxima]]'', ''[[Cucurbita moschata]]'', and ''[[Cucurbita pepo]]''.<ref name="Ferriol" />

''C. pepo'' pumpkins are among the oldest known domesticated plants, with evidence of their cultivation dating to between 7000 [[BCE]] and 5500 BCE. Wild species of ''[[Cucurbita]]'' and the earliest domesticated species are native to [[North America]] (parts of present-day northeastern [[Mexico]] and the southern [[United States]]), but cultivars are now grown globally for culinary, decorative, and other culturally-specific purposes.<ref name="illinoisext">{{cite web |last1=Wolford |first1=Ron |first2=Drusilla |last2=Banks |title=Pumpkins and More |year=2008 |publisher=University of Illinois Extension |access-date=February 19, 2008 |url=http://urbanext.illinois.edu/pumpkins/}}</ref>

The pumpkin's thick shell contains edible seeds and pulp. [[Pumpkin pie]] is a traditional part of [[Thanksgiving]] meals in [[Canada]] and the United States and pumpkins are frequently used as autumnal seasonal decorations and carved as [[jack-o'-lantern]]s for decoration around [[Halloween]]. Commercially canned pumpkin [[purée]] and pie fillings are usually made of different pumpkin varieties from those intended for decorative use.<ref name="preservation-processing">{{Cite book | title=Handbook of Vegetable Preservation and Processing|date=2003-09-12 |chapter=Canned Vegetables: Product Descriptions |chapter-url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.1201/9780203912911-13/canned-vegetables-product-descriptions-peggy-stanfield |language=en |pages=163–191 |publisher=CRC Press |doi=10.1201/9780203912911 |isbn=9780203912911 |editor-last1=Hui |editor-last2=Ghazala |editor-last3=Graham |editor-last4=Murrell |editor-last5=Nip |editor-first1=Y. H |editor-first2=Sue |editor-first3=Dee M |editor-first4=K.D |editor-first5=Wai-Kit }}</ref>

==Etymology and terminology==
According to the [[Oxford English Dictionary]], the English word ''pumpkin'' derives from the [[Ancient Greek]] word {{lang|grc|πέπων}} ([[romanized]] {{transliteration|grc|pepōn}}), meaning 'melon'.<ref name="oed">{{cite web|date=2020|title=Pumpkin|url=https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=pumpkin|access-date=22 October 2020|publisher=Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper Ltd}}</ref><ref name="paris1989">{{cite journal | last1 = Paris | first1 = Harry S. | year = 1989 | title = Historical Records, Origins, and Development of the Edible Cultivar Groups of ''Cucurbita pepo'' (Cucurbitaceae) | journal = [[Economic Botany]] | volume = 43 | issue = 4 | pages = 423–443 | publisher =  New York Botanical Garden Press | jstor = 4255187 | doi=10.1007/bf02935916| bibcode = 1989EcBot..43..423P | s2cid = 29052282 }}</ref> Under this theory, the term transitioned through the [[Latin]] word {{lang|la|peponem}} and the [[Middle French]] word {{lang|frm|pompon}} to the [[Early Modern English]] {{lang|enm|pompion}}, which was changed to ''pumpkin'' by 17th-century English colonists, shortly after encountering pumpkins upon their arrival in what is now the northeastern United States.<ref name="oed" />

There is a proposed alternate derivation for ''pumpkin'' from the [[Massachusett language|Massachusett word]] {{lang|wam|pôhpukun}}, meaning 'grows forth round'.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Fun With Words|url=https://www.wlrp.org/fun-with-words|access-date=22 October 2020|website=Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project}}</ref> This term could have been used by the [[Wampanoag]] people (who speak the {{lang|wam|Wôpanâak}} dialect of Massachusett) when introducing pumpkins to English [[Pilgrims (Plymouth Colony)|Pilgrims]] at [[Plymouth Colony]], located in present-day [[Massachusetts]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kelly|first=Nataly|title=Found in Translation: How Language Shapes Our Lives and Transforms The World|publisher=Perigee|year=2012|isbn=9780399537974|location=New York}}</ref> (The English word ''[[Cucurbita|squash]]'' is derived from a Massachusett word, variously transcribed as {{lang|wam|askꝏtasquash}},<ref>{{Cite book|last=Trumbull|first=James Hammond|title=Natick Dictionary|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|year=1903|location=Washington|pages=224}}</ref> {{lang|wam|ashk8tasqash}}, or, in the closely related [[Narragansett language]], {{lang|xnt|askútasquash}}.)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Definition of Squash|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squash|access-date=22 October 2020|website=Merriam-Webster Dictionary}}</ref>

Researchers have noted that the term ''pumpkin'' and related terms like ''ayote'' and ''calabaza'' are applied to a range of winter squash with varying size and shape.<ref name="Ferriol">{{cite book |last1=Ferriol |first1=María |last2=Picó |first2=Belén |title=Vegetables I |series=Handbook of Plant Breeding |date=2008 |volume=1 |publisher=Springer |location=New York |chapter=Pumpkin and Winter Squash |chapter-url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226740091 |doi=10.1007/978-0-387-30443-4_10 |isbn=978-0-387-72291-7 |page=317 |quote=The common terms "pumpkin", "squash", "gourd", "cushaw", "ayote", "zapallo", "calabaza", etc. are often applied indiscriminately to different cultivated species of the New World genus ''Cucurbita'' L. (Cucurbitaceae): ''C.&nbsp;pepo'' L., ''C.&nbsp; maxima'' Duchesne, ''C.&nbsp;moschata'' Duchesne, ''C.&nbsp;argyrosperma'' C.&nbsp;Huber and ''C.&nbsp;ficifolia'' Bouché.}}</ref> The term ''tropical pumpkin'' is sometimes used for pumpkin cultivars of the species ''Cucurbita moschata''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Andres |first=T.C. |date=2004 |title=Diversity in tropical pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata): cultivar origin and history |url=https://cucurbit.info/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/cuc2004proceedings.pdf#page=113 |journal=Progress in Cucurbit Genetics and Breeding Research}}</ref>

== Description ==
[[File:Cross section of pumpkin.jpg|thumb|Cross section of a ''[[Cucurbita maxima]]'' pumpkin]]
Pumpkin fruits are a type of [[berry (botany)|berry]] known as a [[Berry (botany)#Modified berries|pepo]].<ref name="compleat">{{cite book |last=Goldman |first=Amy |title=The Compleat Squash: A Passionate Grower's Guide to Pumpkins, Squash, and Gourds |publisher=Artisan |location=New York |year=2004 |url=https://archive.org/details/compleatsquashpa0000gold |isbn=978-1579652517}}</ref> Characteristics commonly used to define pumpkin include smooth and slightly ribbed skin<ref name=UFlor>{{cite web |url=http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu/hot_topics/lawn_and_garden/pumpkins.html |title=Pumpkins in Florida |publisher=[[Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences]]}}</ref> and deep yellow to orange color,{{r|UFlor}} although white, green, and other pumpkin colors also exist.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=NBC News|title=White Pumpkins Hit the Halloween Market|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna9827573|date=October 26, 2005|agency=Associated Press|access-date=October 9, 2013}}</ref>

While ''[[Cucurbita pepo]]'' pumpkins generally weigh between {{convert|6|and|18|lb|kg|0|order=flip}}, [[giant pumpkin]]s can exceed a [[tonne]] in mass.<ref name="borrell">{{cite web |author=Borrell, Brenda |date=October 2011 |title=The Great Pumpkin |url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-great-pumpkin-74423844/?no-ist=&page=1 |access-date=October 31, 2016 |publisher=The Smithsonian Institution}}</ref><ref name="heaviest">{{cite web |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/belgian-hopes-to-squash-italians-giant-pumpkin-record-htzdnvq0w |title=Belgian Mario Vangeel hopes to squash Italian's giant pumpkin record at world championship |work=[[The Times]] |date=2021-10-01 |access-date=2021-10-25 |author=Bruno Waterfield}}</ref> Most are varieties of ''[[Cucurbita maxima|C. maxima]]'' that were developed through the efforts of [[botany|botanical societies]] and enthusiast farmers.<ref name="borrell" /> The largest [[cultivar]]s frequently reach weights of over {{convert|75|lb|kg|0|order=flip|abbr=on}}. In October 2023, the record for heaviest pumpkin was set at 1,246.9&nbsp;kg (2,749&nbsp;lbs.).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-10 |title=Pumpkin weighing 2,749 pounds wins contest and sets world record for biggest gourd |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/pumpkin-weighing-2749-pounds-wins-contest-sets-world-record-biggest-go-rcna119649 |access-date=2023-10-10 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref>

== History ==
{{expand section|date=December 2022}}
The oldest evidence of ''[[Cucurbita pepo]]'' are pumpkin fragments found in [[Mexico]] that are dated between 7,000 and 5,500&nbsp;BC.<ref name=Mass>{{cite web|title=Pick a Pumpkin from Massachusetts|url=https://blog.mass.gov/blog/living-in-massachusetts/pick-a-pumpkin-from-massachusetts-this-october/|website=Mass.gov|date=October 8, 2015 |publisher=Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources}}</ref> Pumpkins and other squash species, alongside [[maize]] and [[beans]], feature in the [[Three Sisters (agriculture)|Three Sisters]] method of [[companion planting]] practiced by many [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|North American indigenous societies]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mt.Pleasant |first=Jane |date=2016-11-10 |title=Food Yields and Nutrient Analyses of the Three Sisters: A Haudenosaunee Cropping System |url=https://ojs.ethnobiology.org/index.php/ebl/article/view/721 |journal=Ethnobiology Letters |language=en |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=87–98–87–98 |doi=10.14237/ebl.7.1.2016.721 |s2cid=67774658 |issn=2159-8126|doi-access=free }}</ref> However, larger modern pumpkin cultivars are typically excluded, as their weight may damage the other crops.<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 May 2022 |title=Plant a Three Sisters Garden: Corn, Beans, and Squash {{!}} The Old Farmer's Almanac |url=https://www.almanac.com/content/three-sisters-corn-bean-and-squash |access-date=2023-01-31 |website=www.almanac.com |language=en}}</ref> Within decades after Europeans began colonizing North America, illustrations of pumpkins similar to the modern cultivars [[Small Sugar pumpkin]] and [[Connecticut Field pumpkin]] were published in Europe.<ref name="compleat" />

== Cultivation ==
Pumpkins are a warm-weather crop that is usually planted by early July in the Northern Hemisphere. Pumpkins require that soil temperatures {{convert|3|in|cm|order=flip|0}} deep are at least {{convert|15.5|C|F|0}} and that the soil holds water well. Pumpkin crops may suffer if there is a lack of water, because of temperatures below {{convert|65|F|C|order=flip|0|disp=or}}, or if grown in  soils that become waterlogged. Within these conditions, pumpkins are considered hardy, and even if many leaves and portions of the vine are removed or damaged, the plant can quickly grow secondary vines to replace what was removed.<ref name="psu" />

Pumpkins produce both a male and female flower, with fertilization usually performed by bees.<ref name="psu" /> In America, pumpkins have historically been [[pollination|pollinated]] by the native [[squash bee]], ''Peponapis pruinosa'', but that bee has [[Pollinator decline|declined]], probably partly due to [[pesticide]] ([[imidacloprid]]) sensitivity.<ref name="williams">{{cite web|last=Williams|first=Roger|url=http://projects.ipm.gov/ProjectDetails.cfm?project_ID=749|title=Effects of imidacloprid-based Insecticides on the Native Cucurbit Pollinator, ''Peponapis pruinosa''|publisher=US Interagency IPM Projects|year=2009|access-date=September 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181028112305/https://projects.ipm.gov/ProjectDetails.cfm?project_ID=749|archive-date=October 28, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Ground-based bees, such as squash bees and the [[Bombus impatiens|eastern bumblebee]], are better suited to manage the larger pollen particles that pumpkins create.<ref name="canto">{{cite journal|last1=Canto-Aguilar|first1= M.L. |last2=Parra-Tabla|first2= V. |year=2000|title=Importance of Conserving Alternative Pollinators: Assessing the Pollination Efficiency of the Squash Bee, ''Peponapis limitaris'' in ''Cucurbita moschata'' (Cucurbitaceae)|journal= Journal of Insect Conservation|volume= 4|issue=3|pages=201–208|doi=10.1023/A:1009685422587|bibcode= 2000JICon...4..201C |s2cid= 9891755 }}</ref><ref name="tepedino">{{cite journal | last1 = Tepedino  | first1 = V. J.  | date=April 1981 | title = The pollination efficiency of the squash bee (''Peponapis pruinosa'') and the honey bee (''Apis mellifera'') on summer squash (''Cucurbita pepo'') | journal = Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society | volume = 54 | issue = 2 | pages = 359–377 | jstor = 25084168}}</ref> One hive per acre (0.4 hectares, or five hives per 2 hectares) is recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. If there are inadequate bees for pollination, gardeners may have to [[hand pollination|hand pollinate]]. Inadequately pollinated pumpkins usually start growing but fail to develop.

=== Production ===
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; width:12em; text-align:center;"
|+ Pumpkin production<br><small>2022, (millions of tonnes)<br/></small>
|-
| {{CHN}} || 7.3
|-
| {{UKR}} || 1.1
|-
| {{RUS}} || 1.1
|-
| {{USA}} || 1.0
|-
| {{MEX}} || 0.7
|-
| {{ESP}} || 0.7
|-
| '''World''' || '''22.8'''
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" |<small>Source: [[FAOSTAT]] of the [[United Nations]]</small><ref name="faostat">{{cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC|title= Pumpkin production in 2022 (includes squash and gourds), Crops/Regions/World list/Production Quantity (pick lists)|date=2024|publisher=UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Corporate Statistical Database (FAOSTAT)|access-date=31 August 2024}}</ref>
|}

In 2022, world production of pumpkins (including squash and gourds) was 23 million [[tonne]]s, with China accounting for 32% of the total. Ukraine, Russia, and the United States each produced about one million tonnes.<ref name=faostat/>

==== In the United States ====
[[File:Pumpkin Patch (Winchester, Oregon).jpg|thumb|A pumpkin patch in [[Winchester, Oregon]]]]
As one of the most popular crops in the United States, in 2017 over {{convert|1.5|e9lb|e6kg|order=flip|abbr=off}} of pumpkins were produced.<ref name="psu">{{cite web |first1=Gregory |last1=Astill |title=Pumpkins: Background & Statistics |year=2018 |publisher= United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service |access-date=December 2, 2018 |url=https://www.ers.usda.gov/newsroom/trending-topics/pumpkins-background-statistics}}</ref> The top pumpkin-producing [[U.S. state|states]] include [[Illinois]], [[Indiana]], [[Ohio]], [[Pennsylvania]], and [[California]].<ref name="illinoisext" /> Pumpkin is the state squash of [[Texas]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hatch |first1=Rosie (Ed.) |title=Texas Almanac 2022-2023 |date=2022 |publisher=Texas State Historical Association |location=Austin, Texas |isbn=9781625110664 |page=23}}</ref>

According to the [[Illinois Department of Agriculture]], 95 percent of the U.S. crop intended for processing is grown in Illinois.<ref>{{cite web |author=Illinois Department of Agriculture |title=Illinois Leads Nation in Pumpkin Production |url=http://www.agr.state.il.us/newsrels/r1022041.html |date=October 22, 2004}}</ref> Indeed, 41 percent of the overall pumpkin crop for all uses originates in the state, more than five times that of the nearest competitor, California, whose pumpkin industry is centered in the [[San Joaquin Valley]]; and the majority of that comes from five counties in the central part of the state.<ref name=wherethepumpkinsgrow>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/map-where-america-s-pumpkins-come-n1281963|title=Map: Where America's pumpkins come from|first=Elliot|last=Ramos|work=[[NBC News]]|date=October 22, 2021|access-date=October 31, 2021}}</ref> [[Nestlé]], operating under the brand name [[Libby's]], produces 85 percent of the processed pumpkin in the United States at their plant in [[Morton, Illinois]].

In the fall of 2009, rain in Illinois devastated the [[Libby's]] pumpkin crop, which, combined with a relatively weak 2008 crop depleting that year's reserves, resulted in a shortage affecting the entire country during the Thanksgiving holiday season.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Jerry |last1=Hirsch |title=Pumpkin pie could become scarce after Thanksgiving |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=November 18, 2009 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-nov-18-fi-pumpkin18-story.html|access-date=June 2, 2015}}</ref> Another shortage, somewhat less severe, affected the 2015 crop.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/pumpkin-shortage-in-the-us-has-canada-to-the-rescue/58621/|title=News - Pumpkin shortage in the U.S. has Canada to the rescue - The Weather Network|website=www.theweathernetwork.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fortune.com/2015/11/26/thanksgiving-pumpkin-shortage/|title=Here's What Happened to the Great Pumpkin Shortage of 2015|website=Fortune}}</ref>

The pumpkin crop in the western United States, which constitutes approximately three to four percent of the national crop, is grown primarily for the [[organic food|organic]] market.<ref>{{cite news |last=Severson |first=Kim |title=Libby's Warns of a Canned Pumpkin Shortage |url=http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/17/libbys-warns-of-a-canned-pumpkin-shortage/ |work=The New York Times |date=November 17, 2009}}</ref> [[Terry County, Texas]], has a substantial pumpkin industry, centered largely on miniature pumpkins.<ref name=wherethepumpkinsgrow/> Illinois farmer [[Sarah Frey]] is called "the Pumpkin Queen of America" and sells around five million pumpkins annually, predominantly for use as Jack-o-lanterns.<ref name=pr>{{cite news|url=https://www.produceretailer.com/article/news-article/pumpkins-decoration-delicacy|title=Pumpkins: from decoration to delicacy|work=Produce Retailer|date=August 25, 2017|access-date=March 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180322015137/https://www.produceretailer.com/article/news-article/pumpkins-decoration-delicacy|archive-date=March 22, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.themercury.com.au/lifestyle/elaine-reeves-for-love-of-gourd/news-story/f60577a9e47a8fe1d006dbd8409e714a|title=Elaine Reeves: For love of gourd|newspaper=The Mercury|date=March 4, 2017|access-date=March 20, 2018}}</ref>

== Nutrition ==
{{nutritionalvalue
| name=Pumpkin, raw
| kJ=109
| water=91.6 g
| protein=1 g
| fat=0.1 g
| carbs=6.5 g
| fiber=0.5 g
| sugars=2.76 g
| calcium_mg=21
| iron_mg=0.8
| magnesium_mg=12
| phosphorus_mg=44
| potassium_mg=340
| sodium_mg=1
| zinc_mg=0.32
| manganese_mg=0.125
| vitC_mg=9
| thiamin_mg=0.05
| riboflavin_mg=0.11
| niacin_mg=0.6
| pantothenic_mg=0.298
| vitB6_mg=0.061
| folate_ug=16
| vitA_ug=426
| betacarotene_ug=3100
| lutein_ug=1500
| vitE_mg=0.44
| vitK_ug=1.1
| note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/168448/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry]
}}
In a {{convert|100|g|adj=on}} amount, raw pumpkin provides {{convert|26|kcal|kJ|order=flip|abbr=off}} of food energy and is an excellent source (20% or more the [[Daily Value]], DV) of provitamin A [[beta-carotene]] and [[vitamin A]] (47% DV) (table). [[Vitamin C]] is present in moderate content (10% DV), but no other [[micronutrient]]s are in significant amounts (less than 10% DV, table). Pumpkin is 92% water, 6.5% [[carbohydrate]], 0.1% [[fat]] and 1% [[protein]] (table).

== Uses ==
=== Culinary ===
{{See also|List of squash and pumpkin dishes}}
[[File:Pumpkin-Pie-Whole-Slice.jpg|thumb|right|[[Pumpkin pie]] is a popular way of preparing pumpkin]]
[[File:Roasted pumkin.jpg|thumb|right|Roasted pumpkin]]
Most parts of the pumpkin plant are edible, including the fleshy shell, the seeds, the leaves, and the flowers. When ripe, the pumpkin can be boiled, steamed, or roasted.

==== Shell and flesh ====
In North America, pumpkins are part of the traditional autumn harvest, eaten roasted, as [[mashed pumpkin]]<ref>Stavely, Keith W.F. and Fitzgerald, Kathleen. ''America's Founding Food: The Story of New England Cooking.'' Chapel Hill, N.C.: University of North Carolina Press, 2004. {{ISBN|0-8078-2894-7}}</ref> and in soups and [[pumpkin bread]]. [[Pumpkin pie]] is a traditional staple of the Canadian and American [[Thanksgiving]] holidays.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |first=C. Michael |last=Hogan |year=2011 |url=http://www.eoearth.org/article/Thanksgiving?topic=49578 |title=Thanksgiving |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia of Earth]] |publisher=[[National Council for Science and the Environment]]}}</ref> Pumpkin purée is sometimes prepared and frozen for later use.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://missourifamilies.org/features/nutritionarticles/nut199.htm |title=Many uses for pumpkin |first=Tammy |last=Roberts |work=MissouriFamilies |publisher=University of Missouri Extension}}</ref>

==== Flowers ====
[[File:Pumpkin flower.jpg|thumb|right|A pumpkin flower, one of the edible parts of the plant]]
In the [[southwestern United States]] and Mexico, pumpkin and squash flowers are a popular and widely available food item. They may be used to garnish dishes, or dredged in a batter then fried in oil.

==== Leaves ====
Pumpkin leaves are also eaten in [[Zambia]], where they are called {{transliteration|my|chibwabwa}} and are boiled and cooked with [[Bambara groundnut|groundnut]] paste as a side dish.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pumpkin Leaves Chibwabwa|url=http://www.fao.org/in-action/inpho/resources/cookbook/detail/en/c/862/|publisher=[[Food and Agriculture Organization]]|access-date=March 30, 2017}}</ref>

==== Seeds ====
{{Main|Pumpkin seed}}
[[File:Pumpkin Seeds (matured).jpg|thumb|Pumpkin seeds (matured)]]
Pumpkin seeds, also known as ''pepitas'', are edible and nutrient-rich. They are about 1.5&nbsp;cm (0.5&nbsp;in) long, flat, asymmetrically oval, light green in color and usually covered by a white husk, although some pumpkin varieties produce seeds without them. Pumpkin seeds are a popular snack that can be found hulled or semi-hulled at grocery stores. Per ounce serving, pumpkin seeds are a good source of [[protein]], [[magnesium]], [[copper]] and [[zinc]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3141/2 |title=Nutrition facts for pumpkin seeds, whole, roasted, without salt |work=SELF Nutritiondata |publisher=[[Condé Nast Publications]] |access-date=September 1, 2012}}</ref>

==== Pumpkin seed oil ====
{{Main|Pumpkin seed oil}}
Pumpkin seed oil is a thick oil [[ram press (food)|pressed]] from roasted seeds that appears red or green in color.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kreft |first1=S. |last2=Kreft |first2=M. |year=2007 |title=Physicochemical and physiological basis of dichromatic colour |journal=Naturwissenschaften |volume=94 |pages=935–939 |doi=10.1007/s00114-007-0272-9 |pmid=17534588 |issue=11|bibcode=2007NW.....94..935K |s2cid=33069967 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kaernbach |first1=C. |last2=Dörre |first2=C. |year=2006 |title=On the color of transparent substances, in Current Psychological Research in Austria |journal=Proceedings of the 7th Scientific Conference of the Austrian Psychological Society (ÖGP) |editor-first1=B. |editor-last1=Gula |editor-first2=O. |editor-last2=Vitouch |location=Klagenfurt |url=http://www.uni-kiel.de/psychologie/emotion/team/kaernbach/lehre/bio/kaernoel.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091104031033/http://www.uni-kiel.de/psychologie/emotion/team/kaernbach/lehre/bio/kaernoel.pdf |archive-date=November 4, 2009 }}</ref> When used for cooking or as a salad dressing, pumpkin seed oil is generally mixed with other oils because of its robust flavor.<ref>{{cite book |last=Tyler Herbst |first=Sharon |title=The New Food Lover's Companion |edition=3rd |publisher=Barron |year=2001 |chapter=Pumpkin-Seed Oil |page=550 |access-date=February 14, 2008 |chapter-url=http://www.credoreference.com/entry/5068383}} {{dead link|date=May 2022}}</ref> Pumpkin seed oil contains [[fatty acid]]s such as [[oleic acid]] and [[alpha-linolenic acid]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/ncnu07/pdfs/bavec185-189.pdf |title=Oil Pumpkins: Niche for Organic Producers |vauthors=Bavec F, Grobelnik Mlakar S, Rozman Č, Bavec M |year=2007 |work=Issues in new crops and new uses |publisher=Purdue University Agriculture, Horticulture and Landscape Architecture |access-date=September 2, 2012}}</ref>

=== Animal feed ===

Pumpkin seed meal from ''Cucurbita maxima'' and ''Cucurbita moschata'' have been demonstrated to improve the nutrition of eggs for human consumption, and ''Cucurbita pepo'' seed has successfully been used in place of [[soybean]] in chicken feed.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Vlaicu |first1=Petru Alexandru |last2=Panaite |first2=Tatiana Dumitra |date=2021-06-24 |title=Effect of dietary pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) seed meal on layer performance and egg quality characteristics |journal=Animal Bioscience |language=English |volume=35 |issue=2 |pages=236–246 |doi=10.5713/ab.21.0044 |issn=2765-0189 |pmc=8738952 |pmid=34293842}}</ref>

== Culture ==

=== Halloween ===
{{Main article | Jack o' lantern }}
[[File:Pumpkin2007.jpg|thumb|left|A pumpkin carved into a [[jack-o'-lantern]] for [[Halloween]]]]
In the United States, the carved pumpkin was first associated with the harvest season in general, long before it became an emblem of Halloween.<ref name="NYT">[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9800EEDC1139E033A25757C2A9679D94649ED7CF The Day We Celebrate: Thanksgiving Treated Gastronomically and Socially], ''The New York Times'', November 24, 1895, p. 27. "[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9802E7D6173FE433A25752C2A9669D946197D6CF Odd Ornaments for Table]", ''The New York Times'', October 21, 1900, p. 12.</ref> The practice of carving produce for Halloween originated from an Irish myth about a man named "[[Stingy Jack]]".<ref name="illinoisext" /> The practice of carving pumpkin [[jack-o'-lantern]]s for the [[Halloween]] season developed from a traditional practice in Ireland as well as Scotland and other parts of the United Kingdom of carving lanterns from the [[turnip]], [[mangelwurzel]], or [[rutabaga|swede (rutabaga)]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4383216.stm|title=Turnip battles with pumpkin for Hallowe'en|last=Fowler|first=Julian|date=October 28, 2005|access-date=September 23, 2007|publisher=[[BBC]]}}</ref><ref name="lntrn">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AN7WAAAAMAAJ&q=candlelit+lanterns+were+carved+from+large+turnips |title=The Oxford companion to American food and drink |page=269 |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2007 |access-date=February 17, 2011|isbn=978-0-19-530796-2 }}</ref> These vegetables continue to be popular choices today as carved lanterns in Scotland and Northern Ireland, although the British purchased a million pumpkins for Halloween in 2004 reflecting the spread of pumpkin carving in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4385812.stm|title=Pumpkins Passions|date=October 31, 2005|access-date=October 19, 2006|publisher=[[BBC]]}}</ref>

Immigrants to North America began using the native pumpkins for carving, which are both readily available and much larger&nbsp;– making them easier to carve than turnips.<ref name="lntrn" /> Not until 1837 does ''jack-o'-lantern'' appear as a term for a carved vegetable lantern,<ref>{{cite book |first=Nathaniel |last=Hawthorne |author-link=Nathaniel Hawthorne |chapter=[[The Great Carbuncle]] |title=Twice-Told Tales |year=1837 |quote=Hide it [the great carbuncle] under thy cloak, say'st thou? Why, it will gleam through the holes, and make thee look like a jack-o'-lantern!|title-link=Twice-Told Tales }}</ref> and the carved pumpkin lantern association with Halloween is recorded in 1866.<ref>''Daily News'' (Kingston, Ontario), November 1, 1866:

:The old time custom of keeping up Hallowe'en was not forgotten last night by the youngsters of the city. They had their maskings and their merry-makings, and perambulated the streets after dark in a way [that] was no doubt amusing to themselves. There was a great sacrifice of pumpkins from which to make transparent heads and face, lighted up by the unfailing two inches of tallow candle.</ref>

The traditional American pumpkin used for jack-o-lanterns is the [[Connecticut field pumpkin|Connecticut field]] variety.<ref name="illinoisext" /><ref name="richardsonrw">{{cite web|last=Richardson|first=R. W.|url=http://www.ars-grin.gov/npgs/cgc_reports/squash95.pdf|title=Squash and Pumpkin|publisher=United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System|access-date=November 23, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924160527/http://www.ars-grin.gov/npgs/cgc_reports/squash95.pdf|archive-date=September 24, 2015}}</ref><ref name="ufl">{{cite web|last=Stephens|first=James M. |url=http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mv116|title=Pumpkin — Cucurbita spp.|publisher=University of Florida|access-date=November 23, 2014}}</ref><ref name="baggett">{{cite web|last=Baggett|first=J. R. |url=http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cgc/cgc02/cgc2-19.html|title=Attempts to Cross ''Cucurbita moschata'' (Duch.) Poir. 'Butternut' and ''C. pepo'' L. 'Delicata'|publisher=North Carolina State University|access-date=November 23, 2014}}</ref> Kentucky field pumpkin is also among the pumpkin cultivars grown specifically for jack-o-lantern carving.<ref name="compleat" />

=== Chunking<!-- This is not a typo --> ===
[[Pumpkin chunking]] is a competitive activity in which teams build various mechanical devices designed to throw a pumpkin as far as possible. [[Catapult]]s, [[trebuchet]]s, [[ballista]]s and [[air blaster|air cannons]] are the most common mechanisms.<ref>{{cite news| agency = Associated Press| url = https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna21197135| title = How far will a pumpkin fly?| publisher = MSNBC| date = October 25, 2007| access-date = August 7, 2009}}</ref>

=== Pumpkin festivals and competitions ===
[[File:CompetitivePumpkins.jpg|thumb|Giant ''[[Cucurbita maxima]]'' pumpkins]]
Growers of giant pumpkins often compete to grow the most massive pumpkins. Festivals may be dedicated to the pumpkin and these competitions. In the United States, the town of [[Half Moon Bay, California]], holds an annual [[Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival|Art and Pumpkin Festival]], including the World Champion Pumpkin Weigh-Off.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pumpkinfest.miramarevents.com/event-details/history.html |title=Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival: A Brief History |publisher=Miramar Events |date=2016 |access-date=October 31, 2016}}</ref>

The record for the world's heaviest pumpkin, {{convert|1247|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, was most recently set in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pumpkin weighing as much as a hippo named the world's heaviest |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/11/pumpkin-weighing-as-much-as-a-hippo-named-the-worlds-heaviest#:~:text=Minnesota%20grower%20Travis%20Gienger%20squashes,pound%20(1,247kg)%20gourd.&text=A%20monster%20pumpkin%20weighing%20the,been%20named%20the%20world's%20heaviest. |access-date=2024-10-24 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref>

A festival called [[Pumpkin Weeks]] (''Kurpitsaviikot'') is held every October in [[Salo, Finland]], at which thousands of different-sized pumpkins and carved [[jack-o'-lantern]]s are presented to tourists.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kurpitsaviikot.fi/en|title=Kurpitsaviikot|website=kurpitsaviikot.fi|access-date=24 September 2024|language=en}}</ref>

==== Folk medicine ====
Pumpkins have been used as [[traditional medicine|folk medicine]] by [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] to treat intestinal worms and urinary ailments, and this Native American remedy was adopted by American doctors in the early nineteenth century as an [[anthelmintic]] for the expulsion of worms.<ref name="Henshaw">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tMCd1yED2EUC&pg=PA105 |title=Environmental History of the Hudson River |editor= Robert E. Henshaw|location=Albany, NY |publisher=State University of New York Press |year= 2011 |isbn=978-1-4384-4026-2}}</ref>{{qualify evidence}} In Germany and southeastern Europe, seeds of ''C. pepo'' were also used as folk remedies to treat irritable bladder and [[benign prostatic hyperplasia]].<ref name="Schulz">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/springer_10.1007-978-3-662-09666-6 |title=Rational Phytotherapy: A Reference Guide for Physicians and Pharmacists|editor= Volker Schulz |publisher=Springer|location=Munich |edition= 5th |year= 2004 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/springer_10.1007-978-3-662-09666-6/page/n319 304]–305 |isbn=978-3-540-40832-1}}</ref><ref name="BGA">{{cite web |url=http://buecher.heilpflanzen-welt.de/BGA-Commission-E-Monographs/0309.htm |title=Pumpkin seed (Cucurbitae peponis semen) |work= Heilpflanzen-Welt Bibliothek|access-date=March 25, 2015}}</ref>{{qualify evidence}}

In China, [[Cucurbita moschata|''C. moschata'']] seeds were also used in [[traditional Chinese medicine]] for the treatment of the parasitic disease [[schistosomiasis]]<ref name="xiao">{{cite journal |last1=Xiao |first1=S. H. |last2=Keiser |first2=J. |last3=Chen |first3=M. G. |last4=Tanner |first4=M. |last5=Utzinger |first5=J. |title=Research and Development of Antischistosomal Drugs in the People's Republic of China a 60-year review|journal=Advances in Parasitology |year=2010 |volume=73 |pages=231–295 |doi=10.1016/S0065-308X(10)73009-8 |pmid=20627145}}</ref> and for the expulsion of [[tape worm]]s.<ref name="Fischer">{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=KLd9v4hwtGgC&pg=PA283 |title= Practical Therapeutics of Traditional Chinese Medicine|first1= Yan|last1= Wu|first2= Warren|last2=Fischer |publisher=Paradigm Publications|location=Taos, NM|year=1997 |pages=282–283 |isbn= 978-0-912111-39-1}}</ref>{{qualify evidence}}

=== Folklore and fiction ===
There is a connection in folklore and popular culture between pumpkins and the supernatural, such as:
* The custom of carving jack-o-lanterns from pumpkins derives from folklore about a lost soul wandering the earth.
* In the fairy tale ''[[Cinderella]]'', the fairy godmother turns a pumpkin into a carriage for the title character, but at midnight it reverts to a pumpkin.
* In some adaptations of Washington Irving's ghost story ''[[The Legend of Sleepy Hollow]]'', the [[headless horseman]] is said to use a pumpkin as a substitute head.

In most folklore the carved pumpkin is meant to scare away evil spirits on All Hallows' Eve (that is, Halloween), when the dead were purported to walk the earth.

=== Music ===
Vegetable orchestras, such as the [[London Vegetable Orchestra]] use [[zucchini]] trumpets, [[butternut squash]] trombones, pumpkin drums and [[Eggplant|aubergine]] castanets.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Singh |first=Maanvi |date=2016-05-27 |title=Check Out These Musicians Who Literally Play With Their Food |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/05/27/479333096/check-out-these-musicians-who-literally-play-with-their-food |access-date=2025-04-07 |work=NPR |language=en}}</ref> Other vegetables played include carrots, [[Bell pepper|bell peppers]], [[Potato|potatoes]] and [[Parsnip|parsnips]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2025-04-07 |title=Britain's King Charles joins vegetable orchestra in humorous Windsor Castle musical event |url=https://in-cyprus.philenews.com/international/britains-king-charles-joins-vegetable-orchestra-in-humorous-windsor-castle-musical-event/ |access-date=2025-04-07 |website=in-cyprus.philenews.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Cultivars==
{{See also|List of gourds and squashes}}
The species and varieties include many economically important cultivars with a variety of different shapes, colors, and flavors that are grown for different purposes. ''Variety'' is used here interchangeably with ''cultivar'', but not with ''species'' or taxonomic variety.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%; height:auto;"
! style="width:15%;" class="unsortable"| Image
! style="width:17%;" | Name
! style="width:18%;" | Species
! style="width:10%;" | Origin
! style="width:40%;" class="unsortable"| Description
|-
|
| [[Al Hachi]]
| ''[[Cucurbita moschata]]''
| [[Kashmir]]
| The people of [[Kashmir]] dry Al Hachi pumpkins to eat in the winter, when snowfall can isolate the valley.<ref name="kashmiratoz">{{cite news |last=Sarkar |first=Sonia |date=September 16, 2019 |title=Kashmir, from A to Z: Children's book highlights region's culture |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/kashmir-children-book-highlights-region-culture-190915140353211.html |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |access-date=February 4, 2020}}</ref>
|-
| [[File:Big Max at Dutchess County Fair.JPG|120px]]
| [[Big Max]]
| ''[[Cucurbita maxima]]''
| United States
| Big Max can exceed {{convert|100|lb|kg}} and {{convert|20|in|mm|abbr=on}} in diameter under ideal growing conditions.<ref name="info">{{cite web|title=Pumpkin Seed&nbsp;— Big Max Pumpkin |publisher=Gurney's Seed and Nursery Company |access-date=October 7, 2009 |url=http://gurneys.com/product.asp?pn=66293&sid=601324&bhcd2=1254963239 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008032803/http://gurneys.com/product.asp?pn=66293&sid=601324&bhcd2=1254963239 |archive-date=October 8, 2011 }}</ref> The variety was hybridized for its size during the early 1960s.<ref>{{cite news|author=Earl Aronson|title=The Weeders Guide|date=January 11, 1964|newspaper=The Hartford Courant|access-date=October 7, 2009|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courant/access/919947832.html?dids=919947832:919947832&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jan+11%2C+1964&author=&pub=Hartford+Courant&desc=The+WEEDERS+GUIDE&pqatl=google|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023031604/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courant/access/919947832.html?dids=919947832:919947832&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jan+11,+1964&author=&pub=Hartford+Courant&desc=The+WEEDERS+GUIDE&pqatl=google|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 23, 2012}}</ref> Individual fruits are round to slightly flattened.<ref name="spokane-chronicle">{{cite web|title=Big Max Pumpkin is Monster|date=May 22, 1964|publisher=The Spokane Daily Chronicle|access-date=October 7, 2009|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PZgSAAAAIBAJ&pg=7178,5315473}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Pumpkin|publisher=Aggie Horticulture|access-date=October 7, 2009|url=http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/vegetables/pumpkin.html}}</ref>
|-
| [[File:Kalabasa (Calabaza) squash from the Philippines.jpg|120px]]
| [[Calabaza]]
| ''[[Cucurbita moschata]]''
| [[Cuba]] and [[West Indies]]
| The calabaza is a variety originating in [[Cuba]] and the [[West Indies]]. It is also cultivated in the [[Philippines]] and [[United States]].<ref name="tropical-pumpkin">{{Cite journal |last=Andres |first=T.C. |date=2019 |title=Diversity in tropical pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata): a review of infraspecific classifications |url=https://cucurbit.info/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/cuc2004proceedings.pdf#page=107 |journal=Progress in Cucurbit Genetics and Breeding Research}}</ref>
|-
| [[File:Cucurbita moschata.jpg|120px]]
| [[Cheese pumpkin]]
| ''[[Cucurbita moschata]]''
| [[North America]], possibly from an origin in [[Central America]]<ref name="botanical-harvard">{{Cite journal |last=Vestal |first=Paul A. |date=1938 |title=Cucurbita Moschata Found in Pre-Columbian Mounds in Guatemala |journal=Botanical Museum Leaflets, Harvard University |volume=6 |issue=4 |pages=65–69 |doi=10.5962/p.168392 |jstor=41762692 |s2cid=130017723 |issn=0006-8098|doi-access=free }}</ref>
| So-called for its resemblance to a wheel of cheese, this cultivar has been noted for its long storage ability as well as relatively poor culinary characteristics.<ref name="perfect-pumpkin" /><ref name="compleat" /> One of [[Duchesne]]'s 1786 botanical illustrations depicts a fruit that has been identified with the Cheese Pumpkin.<ref name="tropical-pumpkin" />
|-
| [[File:Connecticut Field cultivar of Cucurbita pepo.jpg|120px]]
| [[Connecticut field pumpkin]]
| ''[[Cucurbita pepo]]''
| [[North America]]<ref name="compleat" />
| Considered to be "one of the oldest pumpkins in existence".<ref name="USDA1">{{cite web |title=Abenaki Heritage Garden |url=https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb1101651.pdf |publisher=USDA NRCS |access-date=December 4, 2022 |archive-date=June 9, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609150416/https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb1101651.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Widely used for [[autumn]] decorations, either whole or as [[jack-o'-lantern]]s.<ref name=LAT>{{cite news|title=Gardening: Trick is to Plant Now for Halloween Treat|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-06-11-re-2959-story.html|publisher=[[The L.A. Times]]}}</ref>
|-
|
| [[Dickinson pumpkin]]
| ''[[Cucurbita moschata]]''
| [[North America]]
| The oblong, ribbed fruits weigh up to 40 pounds and are widely used for canning. Derived from the Kentucky field pumpkin by Elijah Dickinson when he moved to [[Illinois]] in 1835.<ref name="pumpkin-truth">{{Cite web |date=2016-09-12 |title=The Truth About "Canned Pumpkin" – Mother Earth Gardener |url=https://www.motherearthgardener.com/profiles/canned-pumpkin-zmaz12fzfol/ |access-date=2022-12-12 |website=www.motherearthgardener.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Libby's Select is classified either as a selection from the Dickinson Pumpkin or a selection from the same parent lineage.<ref name="best-heirloom">{{Cite web |date=2022-10-09 |title=Best Heirloom Pumpkin Varieties - Grit |url=https://www.grit.com/farm-and-garden/vegetables/pumpkin-varieties-zm0znd13zgou/ |access-date=2022-12-12 |website=www.grit.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="canned-pumpkin">{{Cite web |last=Laliberte |first=Marissa |date=2020-10-15 |title=What's Really in Canned Pumpkin, Anyway? |url=https://www.rd.com/article/is-canned-pumpkin-really-squash/ |access-date=2022-12-12 |website=Reader's Digest |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=CooksInfo |title=Libby's Select Dickinson Pumpkins |url=https://www.cooksinfo.com/libbys-select-dickinson-pumpkins |access-date=2022-12-12 |website=CooksInfo |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Splittstoesser |first=W. E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-yByu-GR4eEC |title=Vegetable Growing Handbook |date=1990-03-31 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-0-442-23971-8 |language=en}}</ref>
|-
| [[File:Howard Dill's Pumpkin Patch.jpg|120px]]
| [[Dill's Atlantic Giant]]
| ''[[Cucurbita maxima]]''
| [[North America]]
| Dill's Atlantic Giant was bred by [[Howard Dill]] from sources including the [[Mammoth (pumpkin)|Mammoth Pumpkin]] variety.<ref name="purdue">{{Cite journal |last=Janick |first=Jules |date=2008 |title=Giant Pumpkins: Genetic and Cultural Breakthroughs |url=https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/pdfs/giant-pumpkin.pdf |journal=[[Chronica Horticulturae]] |volume=48 |issue=3 |pages=16–17}}</ref><ref name="nybg">{{Cite web |last=Andres |first=Thomas |date=October 26, 2010 |title=Origin of the Giant Pumpkin |url=https://www.nybg.org/blogs/plant-talk/2010/10/garden-programming/origin-of-the-giant-pumpkin/ |access-date=April 11, 2021 |website=Plant Talk |publisher=New York Botanical Garden}}</ref> The variety were patented in 1979, who then went on to set the [[giant pumpkin]] in 1980 with a {{cvt|459|lb}} record.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/growing-giant-pumpkins/story?id=12005986|title=Great Pumpkin: Secret to Growing Giant Gourds|date=2010-10-30|website=ABC News|language=en|access-date=2019-02-01}}</ref>
|-
| [[File:Cucurbita maxima - Courge galeuse d'Eysines01.jpg|120px]]
| Galeux d'Eysines
| ''[[Cucurbita maxima]]''
| [[France]]
| The Galeux d'Eysines is mentioned in the [[Vilmorin-Andrieux]] vegetable catalogue [[Les Plantes Potagères]] in 1883. It is noted for peanut-sized growths on its skin, caused by a buildup of sugar. Its name may have originally been ''Brodé galeux d'Eysines'', translating to ''embroidered with scabs, from [[Eysines]].'' Immature pumpkins can be etched with words or designs that become warts as it matures. Galeux d'Eysines was reportedly brought to the United States in 1996 from the [[Foire aux Potirons]] pumpkin festival in  [[Tranzault|Tranzault, France]], by author [[Amy Goldman]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Galeux d'Eysines Squash |url=https://specialtyproduce.com/produce/Galeux_d_Eysines_Squash_9232.php |access-date=2022-12-11 |website=specialtyproduce.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-11-03 |title=Peanut pumpkins - truly unique |url=https://www.morningagclips.com/peanut-pumpkins-truly-unique/ |access-date=2022-12-11 |website=Morning Ag Clips |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
| [[File:Japanese Pie Pumpkin - detail from Hastings seeds - Spring 1912 catalogue (1912) (14802567053).jpg|120px]]
| Japanese pie pumpkin
| ''[[Cucurbita argyrosperma]]''
| [[Pennsylvania]]
| The Japanese pie pumpkin is so-called because its seeds become [[Crazing|crazed]], resembling to Americans the appearance of [[Chinese characters]] or [[Kanji|Japanese kanji]]. This variety was introduced by Samuel Wilson of [[Pennsylvania]] in 1884.<ref name="compleat" />
|-
| [[File:Jarrahdale Pumpkin Vine.jpg|120px]]
| Jarrahdale pumpkin
| ''[[Cucurbita maxima]]''
| [[Australia]]
| A variety with a blue-gray skin, named after the Western Australian town of [[Jarrahdale]]. The Jarrahdale closely resembles the Queensland Blue. It cuts easily, and has orange, sweet-tasting flesh.<ref name="sfgate">{{cite web | url = https://homeguides.sfgate.com/growing-jarrahdale-35632.html | title = Growing Jarrahdale | last = Singleton | first = Bonnie | website = Home Guides | date = July 22, 2012 | publisher = SF Gate | access-date = December 2, 2020}}</ref><ref name="taste">{{cite web | url = https://www.taste.com.au/healthy/articles/pumpkin/by9gk5go | title = Pumpkin: the complete guide | website = taste.com.au | publisher = NewsLifeMedia | access-date = December 2, 2020}}</ref>
|-
|
| Jonathan pumpkin<ref name="compleat" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Pumpkin: Cushaw White |url=https://gardenseedsandplants.com/pumpkin-cushaw-white/ |access-date=2022-12-12 |website=gardenseedsandplants.com}}</ref>
| ''[[Cucurbita argyrosperma]]''
|
| Available commercially as early as 1891 from [[Livingston Seed]].<ref name="compleat" /> The name ''Jonathan'' may originate as a form of [[Pejorative#Pejoration and melioration|melioration]] against the character of [[Brother Jonathan]] which was sometimes used as mocking personification of the United States by satirists in Europe.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ott |first=Cindy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JJkcpAHkKHMC |title=Pumpkin: The Curious History of an American Icon |date=2012-12-01 |publisher=University of Washington Press |isbn=978-0-295-80444-6 |language=en}}</ref> ''Brother Jonathan'' was also used within the United States either as characterizing the epitome of thrift and industriousness, or an unsophisticated [[Yokel|bumpkin]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Finnegan |first=Mary |date=2022-09-19 |title=Pumpkin Season, Explained |url=https://medium.com/limited-liabilities-by-colbeck/pumpkin-season-explained-865487164009 |access-date=2022-12-12 |website=Limited Liabilities by Colbeck |language=en}}</ref>
|-
| [[File:Kabocha.jpg|120px]]
| [[Kabocha]]
| ''[[Cucurbita maxima]]''
| [[Japan]]
|  ''Kabocha'' is the general Japanese word for winter squashes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://vegetable.alic.go.jp/panfu/pumpkin/pumpkin.htm |title=Vegetable diagram (Kabocha) |publisher=Agriculture & Livestock Industries Corporation |access-date=22 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418170816/http://vegetable.alic.go.jp/panfu/pumpkin/pumpkin.htm |archive-date=18 April 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="cookinglight">{{cite web |url=http://www.cookinglight.com/food/in-season/what-is-kabocha-squash |title=What is Kabocha Squash (Japanese Pumpkin)? |publisher=Cooking Light Magazine |access-date=22 September 2017 |archive-date=September 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923020500/http://www.cookinglight.com/food/in-season/what-is-kabocha-squash |url-status=dead }}</ref> In English, the term "kabocha" is usually used for a green-skinned cultivar derived from [[buttercup squash]].
|-
|
| Kentucky field pumpkin
| ''[[Cucurbita moschata]]''
| [[Cuba]], [[Mexico]], or the [[United States]]
| Kentucky field pumpkin is among the pumpkin cultivars grown specifically for jack-o-lantern carving.<ref name="perfect-pumpkin">{{Cite book |last=Damerow |first=Gail |author-link=Gail Damerow |url=http://archive.org/details/perfectpumpkin0000dame |title=The perfect pumpkin |date=1997 |publisher=Pownal, Vt. : Storey Pub. |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-88266-993-9}}</ref> It has been classified as part of a group of ''Cucurbita moschata'' cultivars historically grown by the [[Seminole]] people of the United States southeast, as well as by farmers in [[Louisiana]], [[Alabama]], and [[Mississippi]]. Similar cultivars were identified in [[Cuba]] as well as coastal and southern [[Mexico]].<ref name="history-distribution">{{Cite journal |last1=Cutler |first1=Hugh C. |last2=Whitaker |first2=Thomas W. |date=1961 |title=History and Distribution of the Cultivated Cucurbits in the Americas |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/278735 |journal=American Antiquity |volume=26 |issue=4 |pages=469–485 |doi=10.2307/278735 |jstor=278735 |s2cid=161495351 |issn=0002-7316|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
|-
| [[File:Musquee de Provence.jpg|120px]]
| Musquée de Provence, Moscata di Provenza or fairytale pumpkin
| ''[[Cucurbita moschata]]''
| France
| A large pumpkin from France with sweet, fragrant, deep-orange flesh often sold by the slice due to its size.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://whatscookingamerica.net/squash.htm |title=Squash |website=What's Cooking America |date=November 13, 2015 |access-date=2021-11-25}}</ref>
|-
| [[File:Seminole pumpkin fruit.jpg|120px]]
| Seminole pumpkin
| ''[[Cucurbita moschata]]''
| [[Florida]]
| A landrace originally cultivated by the [[Seminole]] people of what is now [[Florida]]. Naturalists in the 18th century recorded Seminole pumpkins growing with their vines hanging from trees.<ref name="species-crosses">{{Cite journal |last=Castetter |first=Edward F. |date=1930 |title=Species Crosses in the Genus Cucurbita |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2446379 |journal=American Journal of Botany |volume=17 |issue=1 |pages=41–57 |doi=10.2307/2446379 |jstor=2446379 |issn=0002-9122|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name="echo-seminole">{{Cite web |title=Seminole Pumpkin |url=https://www.echocommunity.org/resources/7c4508c7-a5bd-452b-8fd9-1ed9689fc5e8 |access-date=2022-12-26 |website=ECHOcommunity |language=en}}</ref>
|-
| [[File:Cucurbita pepo var. styriaca05.jpg|120px]]
| [[Styrian oil pumpkin|Styrian pumpkin]]
| ''[[Cucurbita pepo]]''
| [[Styria]]
| Styrian pumpkins (''[[Cucurbita pepo]]'' subsp. ''pepo'' var. ''styriaca'' or var. ''oleifera'') have hull-less seeds, which are used in [[Austria]] and [[Slovenia]] as part of a [[pumpkin seed oil]] industry that presses their roasted seeds.<ref name="fürnkranz">{{cite journal | last1 = Fürnkranz | first1 = Michael  | last2 = Lukesch | first2 = Birgit | last3 = Müller | first3 = Henry | last4 = Huss | first4 = Herbert | last5 = Grube  | first5 = Martin | last6 = Berg | first6 = Gabriele  | year = 2012 | title = Microbial Diversity Inside Pumpkins: Microhabitat-Specific Communities Display a High Antagonistic Potential Against Phytopathogens | journal = Microbial Ecology| volume = 63 | issue = 2 | pages = 418–428 | jstor = 41412429 | doi = 10.1007/s00248-011-9942-4| pmid = 21947430  | bibcode = 2012MicEc..63..418F | s2cid = 16454305 }}</ref><ref name="Košťálová">{{cite journal|last1=Košťálová|first1=Zuzana|last2= Hromádková|first2=Zdenka|last3=Ebringerová|first3=Anna|journal=Chemical Papers|date=August 2009|title=Chemical Evaluation of Seeded Fruit Biomass of Oil Pumpkin (''Cucurbita pepo'' L. var. ''Styriaca'')|volume=63|issue=4|pages=406–413|doi=10.2478/s11696-009-0035-5|bibcode=2009ChPap..63..406K |s2cid=97993637}}</ref>
|-
| [[File:Sugar Pumpkins.jpg|120px]]
| [[Sugar pumpkin]]
| ''[[Cucurbita pepo]]''
| [[North America]]
| The sugar pumpkin is one of the earliest varieties of pumpkin documented by European colonists upon arrival in North America. It has sweeter flesh than the similar but larger [[Connecticut Field pumpkin]] from which sugar pumpkins may have been selected.<ref name="compleat" />
|}

== See also ==
* [[List of culinary fruits]]
* [[List of squash and pumpkin dishes]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Pumpkins}}
{{Wikiquote|Pumpkins}}
{{Cookbook}}
* {{Merriam-Webster|Pumpkin}}

{{Squashes and pumpkins}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Squashes and pumpkins|*]]
[[Category:Crops originating from Pre-Columbian North America]]
[[Category:Crops originating from Mexico]]
[[Category:Edible nuts and seeds]]
[[Category:Fruit vegetables]]
[[Category:Halloween food]]
[[Category:Plant common names]]
[[Category:Staple foods]]
[[Category:Thanksgiving food]]