It’s the Not-So-Great Pumpkin

I’m sure there are some Black folks who love pumpkin spice lattes. And pumpkin spice doughnuts. And pumpkin spice whatever.

But they’re probably in the minority.

For us, pumpkins are good for decorations. And for the annual Charlie Brown Halloween cartoon. But that’s about it.

I’m sure this wasn’t a deliberate “self-segregating” thing. I’m sure there is a rational, scientific, historic reason for choosing sweet potatoes over pumpkins and, like most things, it probably has something to do with slavery.

But in short, sweet potatoes were simply more accessible in the South than pumpkins, which primarily made their home in the Northern states. So with an abundance of sweet potatoes at our fingertips, we did what we always do: We doctored them up. Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, whipped cream. It became our go-to holiday dessert (c’mon, why else would Miss Patti mass-produce them for WalMart?).

And we’re not the only ones who feel this way. Over on Threads, the community had thoughts:

Looking for something different to do with sweet potatoes? Check out these recipes from Home & Texture.