As Autumn rolls in Americans muster up some warm dishes for the cold weather. The smell of pumpkin pie and cinnamon fill the air. Pumpkin patches are visited and some of the best dishes of the year are prepared.
Autumn's Best
Pumpkin Pie is a traditional North American sweet dessert usually made in the fall and early winter, especially for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The pumpkin is a symbol of harrvest time and featured also at Halloween.
The pie consists of a pumpkin-based custard, ranging in color from orange to brown, baked in a single pie shell, rarely with a top crust. The pie is generally flavored with nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and ginger and is traditionally served with whipped cream.
This pie is often made from canned pumpkin or packaged pumpkin pie filling (spices included); this is a seasonal product available in bakeries and grocery s
tores, although it is possible to find year-round.
It's History the pumpkin is native to North America. It was an early export to France; from there it was introduced to Tudor England, and the flesh of the pompion was quickly accepted as a pie filler. The Pilgrims brought the pumpkin pie back to New England, but it subsequently died out in England itself.