{"id":111067,"date":"2025-03-06T02:15:19","date_gmt":"2025-03-06T02:15:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/?p=111067"},"modified":"2025-03-14T07:59:48","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T07:59:48","slug":"oh-my-gourd-are-pumpkins-fruits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/oh-my-gourd-are-pumpkins-fruits\/","title":{"rendered":"Oh My Gourd! Are Pumpkins Actually Fruits, Not Veggies?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hearty-fleshed and tough-skinned, gourds are a misunderstood bunch.<\/p>\n

Zucchini, butternut and gem squash are all family members, but pumpkins are arguably the most popular of the 900 species \u2013 all hail the gourds. While these orange beauties are commonly eaten around the world, not many know pumpkins are fruits, not vegetables. If you\u2019re questioning whether everything you know is a lie, rest assured, we are too.<\/p>\n

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While most people consider pumpkin to be a veg, botanists disagree.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What makes pumpkins fruits?<\/h4>\n

One thing you should know about the gourd family\u00a0\u2013 their roots run deep and spread wide. Gourds, also known as the Cucurbitaceae family<\/em>, commonly refer to plant species with a hardened shell, but that\u2019s not true for all members.<\/p>\n

Pumpkins are often the autumnal mascots \u2013 we\u2019re looking at you Pumpkin-spiced Lattes and Thanksgiving pumpkin pies \u2013 for this diverse bunch. While most people consider pumpkin to be a veg, botanists disagree. Simply put, fruits are derived from flower and seed-bearing plants, whereas vegetables are traditionally classified as tubers, or the leaves, stems and roots of the plant.<\/p>\n

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With pumpkins being naturally sweet \u2013 the same reason they\u2019re a popular addition to holiday desserts \u2013 it kind of makes sense that they would be classified as fruits. Well, that and the fact that they have a hard exterior, and contain seeds and flowers. In fact, zucchini flowers bear a striking resemblance to pumpkin blossoms. Still not convinced that pumpkins are fruits? The evidence is in the name…<\/p>\n

\u2018Pumpkin\u2019 derives from the German word pepon<\/i>, which means \u2018large melon\u2019 in English. That\u2019s right \u2013 besides being a vegetable-masquerading fruit, pumpkins are also related to watermelon, well, melons in general.<\/p>\n

If we had to compare the two, pumpkins and melons are like apples to oranges. Besides the obvious shared trait (a hard exterior), melons are distinctly thought of as a summer fruit snack, while pumpkins signify the start of autumn in most corners of the world, and are commonly incorporated into savoury dishes.<\/p>\n

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\u2018Pumpkin\u2019 derives from the German word ‘pepon’<\/i>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

When it comes to the origins of pumpkins and gourds, this unpredictable bunch have a diverse background. Archaeological evidence, dating from 13,000 BCE, suggests that gourds were among the first plants to be domesticated by humans for practical and ceremonial purposes. Ancient inhabitants recognised the usefulness of gourds for storing water, carrying food, making utensils, crafting musical instruments, and other versatile uses (besides Jack-O Lanterns).<\/p>\n

Historians initially believed that bottle gourds \u2013 one of the oldest types \u2013 were native to Asia, but newer scientific findings point to Africa. However, there are two distinctive subspecies originating in Asia and Africa. Through trade and exploration, Asian gourds spread across continents and reached the Americas thousands of years ago.<\/p>\n

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Pumpkin Dishes From Around the World<\/h4>\n

Besides pumpkins, squash and zucchini, watermelon, melons and cucumber also form part of the gourd family. (The plot twists just keep coming.)<\/p>\n

In Western parts of the world, pumpkin is enjoyed in soups<\/a> and desserts like country pumpkin pie<\/a>. The skin is often removed, but when ovenroasted or prepared over the coals, the hard exterior becomes soft and the entire fruit can be consumed, including the seeds.<\/p>\n

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In South Africa, it\u2019s prepared as a side dish and often served alongside hearty stews; the pumpkin is cooked down in water, mashed, and then seasoned with cinnamon sticks. It\u2019s prepared similarly when making pampoenkoekies<\/a> (pumpkin fritters); eggs, flour, sugar, salt, ground cinnamon, vanilla essence and milk are beaten to create a batter, which is spooned into a pan and shallow fried in oil \u2013 much like crumpets. When making Isijingi (pumpkin maize porridge), steamed pumpkin is mashed together with cooked mielie pap (maize meal), and can be served sweet or savoury.<\/p>\n

In West African cuisine, especially in Nigeria and Ghana, gourd seeds from the egusi melon are essential in the making of egusi soup, which involves grinding the seeds and cooking them in a mixture of water and oil; pumpkin and spinach leaves are often incorporated.<\/p>\n

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Though we feel betrayed knowing that pumpkins are fruits and not veggies, the one truth we can rely on is that the rest of the world loves this gorgeous gourd as much as we do.<\/p>\n

Need seasonal cooking inspiration? Fall in love with these autumn recipes<\/a>. Want more? <\/i>Check this seasonal fruit and vegetable chart<\/i><\/a>.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hearty-fleshed and tough-skinned, gourds are a misunderstood bunch. Zucchini, butternut and gem squash are all family members, but pumpkins are arguably the most popular of the 900 species \u2013 all hail the gourds. While these orange beauties are commonly eaten around the world, not many know pumpkins are fruits, not vegetables. If you\u2019re questioning whether everything you know is a lie, rest assured, we are too. While most people consider pumpkin to be a veg, botanists disagree. What makes pumpkins […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8133,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4098],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-111067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"acf":[],"brand_slug":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8133"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111067"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111067\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":119125,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111067\/revisions\/119125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}