Pumpkin pie spice
Spice mix used to flavor pumpkin pie
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pumpkin pie spice, also known as pumpkin spice, is an American spice mix developed for flavoring the filling of a 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[update], pumpkin spice consumables produce $500 million in annual sales.[3]
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.[1]
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][failed verification] Blended pumpkin pie spice was introduced commercially by McCormick & Company in 1934.[8]
See also
