A lot of people claim fall is their favorite season.
Fall is when the air gets a little chill in it. We can peel off our sweaty tank tops and snuggle into a jacket or a sweater. Drinking hot coffee or hot chocolate sounds like a treat. Homemade soups, falling leaves and shorter days is the faire for the day. And then there’s the whole pumpkin spice thing.
People are crazy about pumpkin spice. Pumpkin spice flavors everything from cake to cinnamon rolls, candy to latte, liquor to coffee creamer. Welcome to Fall, the home of the famous Pumpkin Spice!
Why pumpkin spice? What about it makes people go a little wild?
One reason might be the power of suggestion. Pumpkin pie is typically associated with Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is in the fall. Thanksgiving spent with family provides a warm and cozy feeling. Maybe a little bit of that feeling comes back through the seasonal flavoring.
The law of supply and demand also comes into play. Most pumpkin spice flavored products are available during limited periods of time, so those who enjoy a good pumpkin spice latte might rush to the store to buy up all they can in order to prevent running out.
Even a little bit of herd mentality comes into play. If many people are wild about this one flavor (that is so special, it is only made and marketed during the fall) then it must be fantastic! The fervor attracts more fervor.
Starbucks started the pumpkin spice craze in 2003 when they first introduced Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL). However, contrary to popular opinion, pumpkin spice has been around for 223 years! In fact, there are two recipes for spice-filled “pompkin” pie in Amelia Simmons’ 1798 reprint of her cookbook American Cookery; one made with nutmeg and ginger, the other with allspice and ginger.
In the 1930’s companies like Thompson & Taylor Spice Co. and McCormick & Company came out with pumpkin pie spice, a pre-blended mix that allowed one spice replace the many used up to this time. Thompson & Taylor’s version was released in 1933 and included nine spices. McCormick’s blend was launched in 1934 and includes only four spices. Starbucks started including real pumpkin in the drink until 2015.
Pumpkin spice has become a representation of autumn as emblematic as changing leaves.
