Pumpkin Pie

There is good reason why this dessert is the iconic choice for Thanksgiving tables

The hed gif today shows you how to slice a pie into even pieces using math. Or more specifically, using right angles one can find the center of a circle, hence the center of a pie (assuming one’s pie is circular), and then again employ the right angle set at the pie’s center to determine one exact quarter of the circle’s area. Math! Useful! And you thought there’d be no math. Source credit to So What Learning, linked below.

The principle employed here is known as Thales' Theorem: any right triangle inscribed in a circle will have a diameter as its hypotenuse. Therefore we can use a right angle to find the center of a circle by inscribing two diameters and noting where they intersect. The theorem is further illustrated here and here.

So why are pumpkin pies so associated with the American holiday of Thanksgiving? Food historian Max Miller looks at how the tradition started with New England colonists, specifically with residents of Massachusetts. “Pompkins,” as early American colonists called squashes (including the orange pumpkins we know now, but also a wide variety of other squash) were a main staple of the settlers of the 17th century. The plants grew well and plentifully and were well-suited to the climate and geography of the region, as opposed to those crops the settlers brought from England that failed miserably. It is the squash that settlers ate that saved them from starvation in the early years. As the colonists gradually grew their settlements and learned how to cultivate their familiar favorites from England in the New World climate, they became less dependent on squash. As time went on, the humble squash was often looked-down upon by those European settlers. Southern colonists generally thought of squash as a food one would be forced to buy when they could not afford better fare. On the other hand, New Englanders were more inclined to favor squash as part of their diets, using it in everything from soups to desserts. So associated were Massachusetts residents with their respect of pumpkins, that an 18th century nickname for Bostonians was a “Pompkin” and the surrounding region known as “Pumpkinshire.” Thus, when the tradition of Thanksgiving was formalized by Congress, many New Englanders would pay homage to pumpkins in recognition of their early vital importance, and thus they instituted the tradition of including pumpkin pie as part of their Thanksgiving celebrations.

Max has many delightful pumpkin-holiday anecdotes and a recipe for a traditional pumpkin pie from 1796 in the video linked below.

Enjoy all your pies this holiday!