'What calls back the past like the rich pumpkin pie?'

The etymology of a Thanksgiving favourite

Although Europeans were already familiar with cucumbers and gourds, it was the explorers of the New World — starting with Columbus in 1492 — who were responsible for introducing the pumpkin. The first known European image of the pumpkin plant Cucurbita pepo is from a prayer book belonging to Anne of Brittany, queen of Louis XII of France, dating from 15…