Feel that breeze? Alas, Pumpkin Spice season is upon us! Arguably, there’s nothing quite as autumnal as the classic pumpkin spice latte, which has become synonymous with this time of year. Pumpkin Spice has become an international phenomenon. A question dawned on me as I took in the undeniably fall smell of a pumpkin spice candle in the corner of a TJ-Maxx, surrounded by faux leaves and stick reaves decor. How did this aromatic comfort come to be, and how did Pumpkin Spice become the agreed upon zeitgeist of the leaves changing color? Light your candles or grab your mugs, because we are diving into the cozy origin story of the infamous Pumpkin Spice!
The concoction of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and allspice is traced all the way back to ancient Southeast Asian customs. This combination of flavors would become the infamously homely nodes of the Pumpkin Spice as it is known today, most likely combining through the spice trade. Cinnamon originates from Sri Lanka while nutmeg originates from Indonesia. Spices became a luxury good and a booming international industry into the 16th century. Luxury goods were mostly found at feasts on holidays, which is how ginger and cinnamon became associated with the colder months. In America, the spices of feast days were commonly used to season the native squash or pumpkin which are autumn vegetables. By the 19th century, spices became more commonly available for the average middle class European or American. In Amelia Simmon’s cookbook from 1796, the spices of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg are placed in a cream pumpkin pudding recipe. Pumpkin spice mix notably lacks the flavor of pumpkin but instead is a reference to the flavors used to season the filling of a pumpkin dessert!
Pumpkin Spice has always been a Fall Favorite
Pumpkin spices and custards became classic Thanksgiving staples in the 20th century, where the spice mix was commercialized in the United States and became easily accessible. The cooperation Thompson & Taylor is most given the credit for the first official “Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix” in 1933 which directly corresponded with a growing fondness for desserts featuring pumpkin. Coffee had become another side of international trade, most likely originating in Yemen and later becoming of international demand. It is not impossible that the flavors originating pumpkin spice had intersected with coffee before the 20th century, but it was Starbucks in the 21st Century that popularized the combination.
The Pumpkin Spice Latte
Although Starbucks had not been the first to put the flavors of pumpkin spice and coffee together, they certainly had made it the national pop-culture phenomenon it is today. The Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte was originally released in 2003 to an unexpectedly exuberant audience. Starbucks had intended to make novelty menus for the fall and winter seasons. Starbucks claims that pumpkin spice’s association with autumn holidays inspired this tradition that later took on a life of its own. It’s Pumpkin Spice’s limited-edition novelty that undoubtedly became important to the cultural impact it holds, serving to further associate pumpkin spice with the fall. The grocery chain Trader Joe’s has also become synonymous with the flavor, incorporating Pumpkin Spice into everything from cereal to ice cream.
Certainly, something to think about over the morning coffee! Happy Pumpkin Spice season to all who celebrate, and remember the next time you take in the welcoming aroma of a pumpkin spice candle that you are smelling history.