You may have already started seeing pumpkin spice drinks and snacks at shops and eateries in Michigan — as clear a signal of the coming fall as changing leaves or cooling temperatures.
The return of pumpkin spice-flavored anything and everything has become a rite of passage marking the start of autumn nationwide, including in Michigan. Grocery stores, coffeehouses, bakeries and beyond will offer a range of sweet treats, savory bites and rich beverages all centered around the spices.
Often associated with Starbucks’ popular Pumpkin Spice Latte or sweet treats like pumpkin spice muffins, donuts and cookies, the spice blend’s origins trace back several centuries to the colonial era in North America, according to various historians.
The name can be a bit misleading — pumpkin spice doesn’t actually include any pumpkin — it comes from the spice mix’s original use as seasoning for pumpkin pie, a classic autumn dessert, according to Food & Wine, a dining magazine.
“Pumpkin spice has become a cultural icon, a representation of autumn as emblematic as changing leaves,” Food & Wine says.
The flavor is so well-known in Michigan that West Branch-based promotions company BlastEvents! is even sponsoring a “first-ever” Pumpkin Spice Fest at LMCU ballpark in Grand Rapids this fall.
Here’s what to know about pumpkin spice.
What is in pumpkin spice?
Pumpkin spice contains a mix of spices, typically cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and sometimes allspice, according to Allrecipes and Food & Wine.
Why is it called pumpkin spice?
Also known as pumpkin pie spice, the seasonings are typically used to make pumpkin pie, a classic fall treat in the U.S. often served at Thanksgiving gatherings.
How old is the pumpkin spice recipe?
European settlers in colonial North America began baking with the pumpkin spice blend in pumpkin desserts as early as the 17th century, according to workplace food service company Canteen and North Carolina State University food science Professor Gabriel Keith Harris. Indigenous communities in the Americas had already been cooking pumpkins as part of Native cuisines.
One of the earliest pumpkin spice recipes in the U.S. can be found in Amelia Simmons’ cookbook, published in the late 18th century, Food & Wine notes.
How did pumpkin spice become so popular?
A baking revolution came in the mid-1930s when American companies rolled out the pumpkin spice blend, offering shoppers a pre-blended mix in a bottle, eliminating the need to buy each separate spice and blend them, according to Canteen and Food & Wine.
In recent decades, the pumpkin spice trend took off, sparked by the launch of Starbucks’ legendary Pumpkin Spice Latte, a pumpkin-spice flavored coffee and milk beverage, in 2003, Allrecipes and Food & Wine say. Several other national coffee and dessert chains — including Dunkin’, Dairy Queen and Krispy Kreme — then began selling their own pumpkin spice items and from there the craze spread to food items, both sweet and savory, Allrecipes noted.
What can you find pumpkin spice in?
In autumn, food and beverage companies embrace the trend, rolling out seasonal pumpkin spice-flavored twists on their typical products.
Here are some pumpkin spice-flavored foods and drinks you’ll see this season:
When is Pumpkin Spice Fest in Grand Rapids?
BlastEvents! is hosting the “first-ever” event at LMCU Ballpark, 4500 W. River Drive NE in Comstock Park, near Grand Rapids, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 4.
The festival will include a pumpkin spice latte contest, professional pumpkin carving, face paint, pumpkin “chunkin'”, hayrides, fireworks and live music.
Admission ranges from $30 to $54 for general admission, which includes various numbers of pumpkin spice tokens. VIP tickets are up to $70 each.
Contact Jenna Prestininzi: jprestininzi@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pumpkin spice is a fall icon in Michigan. What is it? How did it become so beloved?
Reporting by Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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