Mexican pumpkin-swirl cheesecake pie for Halloween!

Published October 21, 2024

We associate pumpkin with Fall and Halloween — and with pie, especially Thanksgiving since it’s the holiday that wouldn’t be the same without this traditional dessert. But I guess we forget the role that Mexico played in introducing this versatile foodstuff to the world! It was Mexico who introduced pumpkin to the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century, who then introduced it to the Europeans and then, eventually, it found its way to the rest of the Western world.

It all started about 9,000 years ago. Archeological findings date pumpkin seeds to caves found in Oaxaca (located in southern Mexico), about 8,000-10,000 BC. Aztecs and Mayans both used pumpkins as a food source and along with their seeds, valued them nutritionally — although they wouldn’t be cultivated until around 3,500 BC. The Aztecs served pumpkin delicacies to their gods during the festival of Huey Tecuilhuitl.

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