You may have thought of apples and cranberries as fall foods just a few years ago. Now, it’s all about pumpkins.  Many say that Starbucks started this new “pumpkin craze” when they introduced their Pumpkin Spice Latte in 2003. When fall comes around, especially in 2021, Pumpkin Spice products hitting the stores can be considered the official start of the fall season.  Two decades ago, a majority of Americans only encountered food containing pumpkin during Thanksgiving when they ate pumpkin pie. Now, there are hundreds of products that have pumpkin as well as pumpkin spice. 

Yes, let’s start with Starbucks and the Pumpkin Spice Latte. This is a coffee drink that contains a mix of traditional autumn spice flavors, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove spices. The beverage also features steamed milk, espresso, and often sugar topped with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spice.  Many believe this is the holy grail of pumpkin spice. Since the introduction of this drink, it seems as if during the months of September to November pumpkin has taken over.  

Throughout the fall, you can find pumpkin in almost every product. Since pumpkin is now a fall favorite in America, it is not only in drinks, but in muffins, breads, cakes, all types of desserts, soups, pasta, and more! This list of food shows that people can enjoy pumpkin in a sweet or savory way. Next time you are enjoying a nice pumpkin drink or dish, remember without the famous Pumpkin Spice Latte, we would not be enjoying some of our other pumpkin favorites. Despite the fact that pumpkin pie is a holiday favorite and many of us have fond memories of it, pumpkin pie was only popular during the holidays; it did not take over a season.