Why pumpkin spice is associated with fall

Love them or hate them, Starbucks’ pumpkin spice lattes have been in stores since August 29 – the earliest ever release for this drink that ostensibly celebrates fall weather. (Did anyone even look at a weather report before choosing that date?!) Now that cooler temperatures have finally arrived in most of the Northern Hemisphere – really cool if you are in North Dakota, which already had a blizzard – we can properly celebrate fall, and with it pumpkin spice.

While we sip our PSLs, we can contemplate why the spice blend and the fruit itself are symbols of fall. As Spoon University explains, the history of pumpkin goes back millenia to the southwestern US and northeastern Mexico, where it became one of the world’s first domesticated plants. Native Americans grew and ate pumpkins as far back as 5,000 BCE. The colonists who arrived in North America in the late 1600s were already familiar with the plant, and quickly became dependent on it as they struggled to adapt their farming methods to the much different environment their new home presented. Like most squash, pumpkins are easy to grow and these dependable plants sustained the settlers through harsh winters. Since pumpkins mature during the first days of fall, the seasonal connotation was baked in to the equation (if you’ll pardon the pun) from the outset. Pies made with the fruit became holiday staples, if not universally enjoyed.

As to the spice mixture, the first mention of a seasoning blend specifically called “pumpkin spice” dates to 1936, when The Washington Post published a recipe for pumpkin spice cakes. Spice companies like McCormick’s didn’t jump onto the bandwagon until the 1950s with what was at first called ‘pumpkin pie spice’ – which was later abbreviated to ‘pumpkin spice’. As we all know, Starbucks unleashed the PSL in 2003, and since that date seemingly every company known to mankind has released a pumpkin spice product, from air fresheners to bath products to potato chips.

Instagram photos of cozy boots and fall sweaters next to a PSL helped fuel the craze, but nostalgia played an important role as well. The recession of the late aughts made us crave comfort, and nothing says comfort like home baking and reminders of holidays like Thanksgiving (for those of us in North America, at least). This, plus the impulse to latch onto anything promoted as a “limited time” item, propelled pumpkin spice into the prominent position it enjoys today.

Photo of Pumpkin spice gooey butter cake from Bake from Scratch Magazine