While we get pumpkins all year round, somehow, in November, there seems to be much more of this rich, thick-flesh, orange-coloured vegetable. It’s October month-end and that means Halloween in North America and the carving of pumpkins. November is Thanksgiving and it’s all about the pumpkin pie, and here in Barbados, Conkies are everywhere as they are synonymous with Barbados’ independence.
Growing up, I was never a fan of pumpkin, but it was one of my late Mother’s favourite vegetables. Mommy always cooked it to be eaten with roti, while I preferred to eat rice. I found fried pumpkin with rice, bland and boring. The only time I would eat fried pumpkin was when it was served with other curried vegetables on the occasions when there would be 7-curry such as at a wedding, religious festival or pooja (jhandi). When I moved to Barbados in the late 1990s, the variety of vegetables available was not as wide and varied as now, but one of the things readily available was pumpkin. Missing home and my family, I’d pick up pumpkin to cook.