In this Article

• There are Two Pumpkin Spice Camps.

• What is Pumpkin Spice Exactly?

• Where did Pumpkin Spice Begin?

• How it Became Popular.

• The Cultural Significance of Pumpkin Spice.

• The Verdict.

There are Two Pumpkin Spice Camps

If you would describe your favorite season and color as fall. And even go so far as describe your personality in the same way ("Yes." This exists on YouTube). You are probably a pumpkin spice lover. Fall, for you, is synonymous with the flavor (as are Gilmore Girls re-watches). You're in the, I LOVE pumpkin spice camp. Admittedly I would describe myself as all of the above, EXCEPT that I don't get the hype about pumpkin spice. Fall is only synonymous with the flavor for me, because I have to hear about it incessantly in September and October (although it commercially lingers through November) from the YouTubers I follow. I can't avert my eyes from the pumpkin spice menu when going to my local Starbucks. So I am decidedly in the, What's the big deal about pumpkin spice, camp. Or more harshly in the, I'll pass camp. But what is the big deal about pumpkin spice? Well, I'm here to shed some light on it.

What is Pumpkin Spice Exactly?

This is the easiest question to answer in this whole article. It's a combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. But originally it had star anise in it. Take your pick of recipes as to the combination of the five ingredients. Here's the kicker. Bakers may be baking and selling pumpkin spiced bars, cookies, pies etc.. But those aren't the pumpkin spiced products that are flying off the shelves to the tune of multiple millions of dollars in a few months time. Rather, it's all the stuff, that really doesn't contain pumpkin spice at all.

Where did Pumpkin Spice Begin?

It's a great question. One I had no prior interest in, until I happened upon a Milk Street Radio podcast discussing pumpkin spice on the way to the main event (that I was interested in) which was Erin French and her exclusive restaurant The Lost Kitchen. But I was captive (sort of). I learned that the first mainstream reference to pumpkin spice was a cake recipe in the Washington Post (thanks a lot), in 1936 which called for shortening, raisins and apparently a not so shy amount of mace. The Post wound up retooling the recipe. The specifics of which they did not go into. Needless to say, pumpkin spice has evolved from 1936. I'm not only speaking of the ingredients themselves, but its meaning. Starbucks had the most influence on the transition.

How it Became Popular

Pumpkin spice isn't so much of an ingredient as it is a lifestyle. We have Starbucks to thank for that. My husband and I were talking the other day, marveling at how walking around with a Starbucks cup of coffee is much more than walking around with a paper cup of coffee. It's a social statement. It highlights class, economics and dare I say taste. Millions of people make that statement everyday. Heck, we remember Folgers coffee commercials. As for cultural statements. I don't think so. While Starbucks was started in March of 1971 (when Folgers and yes, Sanka coffees were in existence) patience and vision made it a household name and a cultural status symbol.

When you have culture you control culture. In rolls the pumpkin spice latte, debuted in October of 2003. I can't believe that its original creators could have fathomed the influence and economic haul the fall themed beverage would create. But create it did, with 20 million Americans guzzling the drink each year according to Brittanica, and 80 million in revenue in the few months it's offered for Starbucks (and the pumpkin spice latte didn't even include pumpkin until 2015, of which it has trace amounts). Beverage and food chains as well as retailers followed suit. Who wouldn't chase those numbers? Now, pumpkin spice is everywhere.

The Cultural Significance of Pumpkin Spice

So what is pumpkin spice besides a list of ingredients? Now, it's a lifestyle. It's coziness. It's warmth. It's falling leaves. It's happiness, joy and excitement all wrapped into one. It's class. It's classic (at this point). It's love and safety. You can get all of this not only in a drink, but also in limited edition: dish soaps; body washes and lotions; deodorants; lip balms; shampoos and conditioners; perfumes; candles; yogurt (which wasn't as bad as I had imagined and it did contain pumpkin and some of the spices); creamers; teas and the list goes on. I think the pumpkin spice message now is: Want some moments of happiness in your life? Get some pumpkin spice!

The Verdict

I understand now. Pumpkin spice is so much more than a combination of edible ingredients. While pumpkin spice is nice, I'm still in the same camp as when I started this article. Not because I'm not swayed by all the cultural stuff that we as humans long to feel. It's because for me, I hate the overly sweet and artificial smell of the retail products; I no longer take sugar syrup in my lattes; and because I think there's more interesting spice combinations to be had. But I begrudge no-one for loving pumpkin spice season. I love it too. I just don't need to have the pumpkin spice in it.

In which pumpkin spice camp do you fall?

Always remember: Life is what you bake it!

Cover 📷 by Foodie Flavors (the use of their photo is not an endorsement of their product)