Pumpkin pie spice explained

Pumpkin pie spice, also known as pumpkin spice, is an American spice mix, named because it is commonly used as a flavoring for pumpkin pie. It does not include pumpkin as an ingredient.

Pumpkin pie spice is similar to the British and Commonwealth mixed spice, and the medieval poudre-douce.[1] It is generally a blend of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and sometimes allspice.[2] It can also be used as a seasoning in general cooking.

As of 2016, pumpkin spice consumables produce $500 million in annual sales.[3] The spice is often referred to in the context of a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks, with the company selling more than 200 million lattes between its launch and 2013, generating revenue of at least $80 million a year.

History

Flavour combinations similar to pumpkin spice were known in the medieval period - the 1390s book Le Ménagier de Paris contains a spice mix of 17 parts ginger, 4 parts each cinnamon and sugar, and 2 parts each cloves and grains of paradise. Similar spice mixes were often called 'poudre-douce' or 'sweet powder'.

A "Pompkin" recipe calling for a similar spice mix (mace, nutmeg, and ginger) can be found in the first known published American cookbook, American Cookery, published in 1796 by Amelia Simmons:[4]

Pompkin

No. 1. One quart stewed and strained, 3 pints cream, 9 beaten eggs, sugar, mace, nutmeg and ginger, laid into paste No. 7 or 3, and with a dough spur, cross and chequer it, and baked in dishes three quarters of an hour.

No. 2. One quart of milk, 1 pint pompkin, 4 eggs, molasses, allspice and ginger in a crust, bake 1 hour.

Pumpkin pie spice has been mentioned in cookbooks dating to the 1890s.[5] [6] [7] Blended pumpkin pie spice was introduced commercially by McCormick & Company in 1934.[8]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Medieval Origins of Pumpkin Spice. October 2021. 16 May 2024. Medievalists. Ken. Mondschein.
  2. News: Cadwalader . Zac . Pumpkin Spice Is Now Dictionary Official . 14 September 2022 . Sprudge.com . 14 September 2022.
  3. Web site: A brief history of how pumpkin spice took over our lives. businessinsider.com. 21 April 2018. 21 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171021125935/http://www.businessinsider.com/how-pumpkin-spice-took-over-fall-2016-10. live.
  4. Web site: American Cookery by Amelia Simmons - Full Text Free Book. www.fulltextarchive.com. 21 June 2019. 21 June 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190621170027/https://www.fulltextarchive.com/page/American-Cookery/. live.
  5. Farmer, Fannie Meritt. 1896. The Original Boston Cooking-School Cookbook, Facsimile Edition of 1986, Weathervane Books, NY,NY
  6. Smiley's cookbook and universal household guide. Smiley Publishing Co. Chicago
  7. Coppin, C.A. 1910. Mamma's Hints to Housekeepers. Advanced Stove Works, Keller-Crescent, Evansville,IN.
  8. McKormick & Company, "Pumpkin Pie Spice: An Iconic McCormick Product (And How We’re Working to Meet the Holiday Demand)", November 19, 2020