1. Pumpkins were believed to be first cultivated on which continent?
Correct answer: North America.
The oldest evidence of a pumpkin’s origins is pumpkin-like seeds dating between 7000 and 5500 B.C. which were found in Mexico, suggesting that pumpkins were first cultivated in North America.
2. Pumpkins belong to the Cucurbitaceae family, which also includes:
Correct answer: watermelons.
Watermelons and pumpkins both belong to the same gourd family.
3. According to The Guinness Book of World Records, the fastest pumpkin carving time is:
Correct answer: 24.03 seconds.
On July 23, 2006, Stephen Clarke carved a face into a pumpkin in a record 24.03 seconds in Orlando, Florida as part of the ‘Food Network Challenge: Guinness World Records Week’.
4. True or False? The word “pumpkin” is derived from the Greek word “pepon”.
: True.
The word “pumpkin” originated from the word “pepon” which is Greek for “large melon”.
5. Another name for a Japanese pumpkin is:
: kabocha.
Kabocha is a Japanese variety of winter squash that is commonly called a “Japanese pumpkin” in other parts of the world.
6. Pumpkins are:
all of the above.
Pumpkin is a healthy food whose nutritional qualities include being high in potassium and Vitamin A, as well as being very low in cholesterol.
7. Pumpkins are made up of what percentage of water?
Correct answer: 90%
It is estimated that pumpkins are made up of 90% water.
8. Pumpkins were once known as a remedy for:
all of the above.
In traditional folk medicine, pumpkins were believed to have healing properties to treat a variety of ailments including freckle removal, snake bites and inflamed kidneys.
9. Which U.S. city is known as the pumpkin capital of the world?
Morton, Illinois.
Morton calls itself the “Pumpkin Capital of the World” due to the fact that 85% of the world’s pumpkins are canned at the pumpkin processing plant of the Nestle Food Company, located in this city.
10. According to The Guinness Book of World Records, the largest pumpkin pie on record weighs:
Correct answer: 2,020 pounds
As of February 2006, the largest pumpkin pie according to The Guinness Book of World Records is a 2,020 pound pie, made in New Bremen, Ohio.
