Golden pumpkin pie with molasses and spices in a shortcrust pastry shell on a rustic wooden table

Early American Republic · United States

Pompkin Pie

Name: Pompkin Pie
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: United States
Ingredients: 1 blind-baked 23cm shortcrust shell; 425g pumpkin puree; 150ml double cream; 150ml whole milk; 3 large eggs; 80g brown sugar; 3 tbsp molasses; 1 tsp cinnamon; 1/2 tsp ginger; 1/4 tsp cloves; 1/2 tsp salt

From American Cookery · Amelia Simmons · 1796

Verified from original source

The original American pumpkin pie — cream, molasses and warming spices in a short crust.

Historical note: Simmons's spelling — the earliest published pumpkin pie recipe under this name in America.

History

Pumpkin pie appeared in American Cookery (1796) as Pompkin, by Amelia Simmons, the first cookbook authored by an American and published in America. While English settlers had encountered pumpkin through Native Americans who cultivated squash, Simmons's recipe represents the earliest printed American pumpkin pie, combining pumpkin, cream, eggs, and spices baked in pastry. Earlier colonists stewed pumpkin in various ways, but Simmons formalised the custard-based version. The dish became associated with Thanksgiving by the mid-19th century and remains a quintessential American dessert, though modern recipes typically use evaporated milk and more standardised spicing.

Sources

Simmons, Amelia. American Cookery. 1796.
Smith, Andrew F. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America. 2004.
Stavely, Keith and Fitzgerald, Kathleen. America's Founding Food: The Story of New England Cooking. 2004.
Davidson, Alan. The Oxford Companion to Food. 1999.
Feeding America: The Historic American Cookbook Project. Michigan State University Libraries.

Serves

Prep

15m

Cook

55m

Difficulty

Medium