Pumpkin Isn’t Just for Pie
Updated: Oct 7
When fall arrives, pumpkins seem to appear everywhere.
They sit on porches, fill farm stands, become jack-o'-lanterns and show up in everything from decorations to desserts.
But somewhere between pumpkin pie and Halloween, it's easy to forget something rather obvious:
A pumpkin is food.
And inside that bright orange flesh is some fascinating plant chemistry.
What Makes a Pumpkin Orange?
The familiar orange color of pumpkin comes largely from a family of plant pigments called carotenoids.
Two of the carotenoids found in pumpkin are alpha-carotene and beta-carotene.
Their names sound almost like a matched pair, and chemically, they're closely related. Both can contribute to the yellow-orange colors we see in plants, and both can be converted by the human body into vitamin A.
That doesn't mean alpha-carotene and beta-carotene are vitamin A.
They're provitamin A carotenoids - compounds our bodies can use to make vitamin A when needed.
Vitamin A is important for normal vision, immune function, growth and the maintenance of healthy tissues.
Why Does the Pumpkin Make Carotenoids?
Of course, a pumpkin plant isn't producing alpha- and beta-carotene because humans need vitamin A.
Those compounds belong to a much larger carotenoid system that plants use for themselves.
Carotenoids help plants capture light energy during photosynthesis and, just as importantly, help protect plant tissues when there's more light energy than the photosynthetic system can safely handle.
Some carotenoids are hidden from us for much of the plant's life.
Look at a pumpkin leaf and you don't see orange, even though carotenoids are present in green plant tissues. That's because the strong green color of chlorophyll masks them.
In pumpkin fruit, however, carotenoids can accumulate as the fruit develops and matures.
That's when those brilliant yellows and oranges become impossible to miss.
Are All Pumpkins the Same Inside?
Not even close.
Pumpkins come in different shapes, sizes and colors, and their flesh can vary too.
Some varieties have deep orange flesh, while others are much paler. The amounts and types of carotenoids they contain can also vary by variety and growing conditions.
And that brings up an important point:
Color can give us clues about plant chemistry, but it doesn't give us a complete chemical analysis.
A darker orange pumpkin may suggest a greater concentration of certain carotenoid pigments, but you can't determine exactly how much alpha-carotene or beta-carotene it contains simply by looking at it.
Nature isn't quite that convenient.
The Pumpkin on Your Porch May Not Make the Best Pie
Technically, many pumpkins sold for carving are edible.
That doesn't necessarily mean you'll want to cook with them.
Large carving pumpkins are generally selected for qualities that make them good jack-o'-lanterns — a useful shape, plenty of room inside and a rind that can be carved.
Pumpkins intended for cooking are often smaller, denser and sweeter, with flesh that is less watery and has a better texture for recipes.
They're commonly sold as pie pumpkins or sugar pumpkins, although there are many edible varieties.
So if you want a pumpkin for the kitchen rather than the front porch, choose one grown with eating in mind.
And Then There Are the Seeds
The orange flesh gets most of the attention, but pumpkin seeds are an entirely different food tucked inside the same fruit.
Pumpkin flesh provides carotenoids along with fiber and other nutrients.
The seeds contain considerably more fat and protein and provide minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus and zinc.
Same pumpkin.
Very different nutritional profile.
That's one of the reasons describing a food simply as “healthy” doesn't tell us very much. Different parts of a plant can provide completely different combinations of nutrients and phytochemicals.
Pumpkin Doesn't Require a Pie Crust
Pumpkin pie is delicious, but pumpkin doesn't have to be dessert.
Cooked pumpkin can be added to soups, stews, pasta dishes and breads. It can be roasted, mashed or puréed.
The seeds can be roasted separately.
And canned pumpkin can be a convenient option when fresh pumpkin isn't available — just check the label if you want plain pumpkin, because 100% pumpkin and pumpkin pie filling are not the same product. Pie filling generally contains added sweeteners and spices.
Two Compounds Hiding in One Familiar Fall Food
Alpha-carotene and beta-carotene aren't household words for most children.
Pumpkins certainly are.
And that's one of the things that makes food such a wonderful way to introduce children to science.
A pumpkin can be something to carve.
It can be something to eat.
It can be a fruit filled with seeds.
And that bright orange color can be the beginning of a conversation about two real plant compounds with remarkably similar names.
Alpha-carotene and beta-carotene.
Two colorful members of the same plant family, hiding inside one of fall's most familiar foods.
