From The Food Encyclopedia by Jacques Rolland and Carol Sherman
Fruit from the trailing vine, Cucurbita pepo, from the Greek pepon, meaning "large melon." Pumpkin is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, which includes cucumber, squash and watermelon. Pumpkin seeds are called pepitas. Pumpkin pie is best made from "pie pumpkins", a variety of pumpkin that is harvested when they reach soccer-ball size so they are more dense with sweet flesh rather than seed cavity, which is more typical of the larger jack o' lantern pumpkins used for carving at Halloween. Seeds from plants related to the pumpkin date back to about 7000 BC. Native Americans had been eating pumpkins several centuries before the arrival of the Pilgrims. Around the time of the first Thanksgiving, it was traditional to serve the pumpkin with its crown and seeds removed, the cavity filled with milk, honey and spices, then baked until tender.
