Mashed pumpkin
Encyclopedia
Mashed pumpkin is a vegetable dish made by cooking or macerating the skinless flesh (pulp) of pumpkin
s and then mashing, straining, grinding, or purée
ing until the desired consistency is achieved. It is traditionally served as a side dish
, although it has many uses in cooking and baking.
and South America
. It was widely cultivated and used for food throughout much of North America by Native Americans
, and many tribes on the eastern coast of North America ate mashed pumpkin. Some Native Americans also spread mashed pumpkin over scrapes and cuts as a poultice
. Mashed pumpkin was likely served at the 1621 "First Thanksgiving"
celebration at Plymouth Colony
in America, where members of the Wampanoag tribe celebrated an iconic harvest festival with the Pilgrims. English
colonists in New England
quickly adopted pumpkin as a food source, and "pumpkin sauce" (mashed pumpkin) was served at inn
s in New England as early as 1704. Mashed pumpkin was also added to various breads and cakes as a flavoring agent as well as a sweetener. By the mid-18th century, mashed pumpkin was also being used as an ingredient in pies. In the New World Dutch
colony of New Amsterdam
(modern New York City
), mashed pumpkin was mixed with corn meal and fried as a pancake
.
such as quail
, and mashed pumpkin sweetened with dark maple syrup
is a common New England side dish served alongside roast chicken or baked ham
. Mashed pumpkin may also be used as a substitute for fat
in many bread and cake recipes.
s, but has 564 mg
of potassium
, 5,000 mcg
of beta-carotene
, 853 mcg of alpha-carotene
, 3,500 mcg of beta-cryptoxanthin
, 2,400 mcg of lutein
and zeaxanthin
, 12,000 IUs
of vitamin A
, and 2.5 g of dietary fiber
.
Pumpkin
A pumpkin is a gourd-like squash of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae . It commonly refers to cultivars of any one of the species Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita mixta, Cucurbita maxima, and Cucurbita moschata, and is native to North America...
s and then mashing, straining, grinding, or purée
Purée
Purée and mash are general terms for cooked food, usually vegetables or legumes, that have been ground, pressed, blended, and/or sieved to the consistency of a soft creamy paste or thick liquid. Purées of specific foods are often known by specific names, e.g., mashed potatoes or apple sauce...
ing until the desired consistency is achieved. It is traditionally served as a side dish
Savoury (small dish)
A savoury is the final course of a traditional British formal meal, following the sweet pudding or dessert course. The savoury is designed to "clear the palate" before the Port is served. It generally consists of salty and plain elements....
, although it has many uses in cooking and baking.
History
The pumpkin is native to NorthNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. It was widely cultivated and used for food throughout much of North America by Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, and many tribes on the eastern coast of North America ate mashed pumpkin. Some Native Americans also spread mashed pumpkin over scrapes and cuts as a poultice
Poultice
A poultice, also called cataplasm, is a soft moist mass, often heated and medicated, that is spread on cloth over the skin to treat an aching, inflamed, or painful part of the body. It can be used on wounds such as cuts...
. Mashed pumpkin was likely served at the 1621 "First Thanksgiving"
Thanksgiving (United States)
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...
celebration at Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 to 1691. The first settlement of the Plymouth Colony was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. The settlement, which served as the capital of the colony, is today the modern town...
in America, where members of the Wampanoag tribe celebrated an iconic harvest festival with the Pilgrims. English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
colonists in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
quickly adopted pumpkin as a food source, and "pumpkin sauce" (mashed pumpkin) was served at inn
INN
InterNetNews is a Usenet news server package, originally released by Rich Salz in 1991, and presented at the Summer 1992 USENIX conference in San Antonio, Texas...
s in New England as early as 1704. Mashed pumpkin was also added to various breads and cakes as a flavoring agent as well as a sweetener. By the mid-18th century, mashed pumpkin was also being used as an ingredient in pies. In the New World Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
colony of New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam was a 17th-century Dutch colonial settlement that served as the capital of New Netherland. It later became New York City....
(modern New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
), mashed pumpkin was mixed with corn meal and fried as a pancake
Pancake
A pancake is a thin, flat, round cake prepared from a batter, and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. Most pancakes are quick breads; some use a yeast-raised or fermented batter. Most pancakes are cooked one side on a griddle and flipped partway through to cook the other side...
.
Cooking
Chefs generally recommend steaming when cooking pumpkin to make mashed pumpkin, as boiling in liquid tends to significantly dilute the flavor. Some chefs recommend fried or roasted pumpkin for its flavor value over mashed pumpkin. But well-seasoned mashed pumpkin goes well with cooked game birdsGame (food)
Game is any animal hunted for food or not normally domesticated. Game animals are also hunted for sport.The type and range of animals hunted for food varies in different parts of the world. This will be influenced by climate, animal diversity, local taste and locally accepted view about what can or...
such as quail
Quail
Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally considered in the order Galliformes. Old World quail are found in the family Phasianidae, while New World quail are found in the family Odontophoridae...
, and mashed pumpkin sweetened with dark maple syrup
Maple syrup
Maple syrup is a syrup usually made from the xylem sap of sugar maple, red maple, or black maple trees, although it can also be made from other maple species such as the bigleaf maple. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before the winter; the starch is then...
is a common New England side dish served alongside roast chicken or baked ham
Ham
Ham is a cut of meat from the thigh of the hind leg of certain animals, especiallypigs. Nearly all hams sold today are fully cooked or cured.-Etymology:...
. Mashed pumpkin may also be used as a substitute for fat
Fat
Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and generally insoluble in water. Chemically, fats are triglycerides, triesters of glycerol and any of several fatty acids. Fats may be either solid or liquid at room temperature, depending on their structure...
in many bread and cake recipes.
Nutritional information
A single cup of unseasoned mashed pumpkin contains only 49 calorieCalorie
The calorie is a pre-SI metric unit of energy. It was first defined by Nicolas Clément in 1824 as a unit of heat, entering French and English dictionaries between 1841 and 1867. In most fields its use is archaic, having been replaced by the SI unit of energy, the joule...
s, but has 564 mg
Gram
The gram is a metric system unit of mass....
of potassium
Potassium
Potassium is the chemical element with the symbol K and atomic number 19. Elemental potassium is a soft silvery-white alkali metal that oxidizes rapidly in air and is very reactive with water, generating sufficient heat to ignite the hydrogen emitted in the reaction.Potassium and sodium are...
, 5,000 mcg
Gram
The gram is a metric system unit of mass....
of beta-carotene
Beta-carotene
β-Carotene is a strongly-coloured red-orange pigment abundant in plants and fruits. It is an organic compound and chemically is classified as a hydrocarbon and specifically as a terpenoid , reflecting its derivation from isoprene units...
, 853 mcg of alpha-carotene
Alpha-carotene
α-Carotene is a form of carotene with a β-ring at one end and an ε-ring at the other. It is the second most common form of carotene.-Human physiology:...
, 3,500 mcg of beta-cryptoxanthin
Cryptoxanthin
Cryptoxanthin is a natural carotenoid pigment. It has been isolated from a variety of sources including the petals and flowers of plants in the genus Physalis, orange rind, papaya, egg yolk, butter, apples, and bovine blood serum.-Chemistry:...
, 2,400 mcg of lutein
Lutein
Lutein is a xanthophyll and one of 600 known naturally occurring carotenoids. Lutein is synthesized only by plants and like other xanthophylls is found in high quantities in green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale...
and zeaxanthin
Zeaxanthin
Zeaxanthin is one of the most common carotenoid alcohols found in nature. It is important in the xanthophyll cycle. Synthesized in plants & some micro-organisms, it is the pigment that gives paprika , corn, saffron, and many other plants & microbes their characteristic color.The name is derived...
, 12,000 IUs
International unit
In pharmacology, the International Unit is a unit of measurement for the amount of a substance, based on biological activity or effect. It is abbreviated as IU, as UI , or as IE...
of vitamin A
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is a vitamin that is needed by the retina of the eye in the form of a specific metabolite, the light-absorbing molecule retinal, that is necessary for both low-light and color vision...
, and 2.5 g of dietary fiber
Dietary fiber
Dietary fiber, dietary fibre, or sometimes roughage is the indigestible portion of plant foods having two main components:* soluble fiber that is readily fermented in the colon into gases and physiologically active byproducts, and* insoluble fiber that is metabolically inert, absorbing water as it...
.