Pumpkins have long served as a staple in the diet of American Indians. The Abenaki word for pumpkin or squash is wasawa. American Indians roasted, baked, parched, boiled, and dried the flesh in numerous ways.
Each tribe developed its own ways to prepare and enjoy the pumpkin. Diné cooks fry it with mutton, while Taos Pueblo cooks make a succotash by cooking unripe pumpkin with corn kernels and onion. In Woodland areas, pumpkin is eaten similarly to winter squash, occasionally cut into rings to dry and be reconstituted when needed. So, what are you doing with your pumpkin?
