Pumpkin Is the King of Fall

When leaves start changing colors, restaurants and coffee shops all start serving the same ingredients: pumpkins, apples, butternut squash, beets, etc. Example: Pumpkin spice lattes.

We polled our readers to see which autumn ingredient was their favorite, and 42 percent of them chose pumpkins. Butternut squash came in second with 25 percent, while apples received 24 percent. Trailing far behind, beets received only 10 percent of the votes.

The results are surprising; doesn't the saying go, “As American as apple pie?” Perhaps pumpkin's popularity has something to do with the jack ‘o lanterns in October and pumpkin pie in November. Or maybe it’s popular because pumpkin somehow manages both the sweet and savory worlds.

Pumpkin cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies, milkshakes, and waffles are all wonderful. But then there’s that pumpkin lobster ravioli at Ngam, pumpkin sage orzo risotto, and pumpkin curry soup. And really, who doesn’t fight for the last piece of pumpkin tempura? It's just too bad about that pumpkin shortage; looks like we'll just have to settle for the second-best gourd, butternut squash.

The Daily Byte is a regular column dedicated to covering interesting food news and trends across the country. Click here for previous columns.

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