A pumpkin is a cultivar of winter squash that is round with smooth, slightly ribbed skin, and is most often deep yellow to orange in coloration.[1] The thick shell contains the seeds and pulp. The name is most commonly used for cultivars of Cucurbita pepo, but some cultivars of Cucurbita maxima, C. argyrosperma, and C. moschata with similar appearance are also sometimes called “pumpkins”
Source: Wikipedia
Pumpkins, like other squash, originated in northeastern Mexico and southern United States.[1] The oldest evidence is pumpkin fragments found in Mexico that are dated between 7,000 and 5,500 BC.[1] Pumpkin fruits are a type of botanical berry known as a pepo.[1][11]
Traditional C. pepo pumpkins generally weigh between 3 and 8 kilograms (6 and 18 lb), though the largest cultivars (of the species C. maxima) regularly reach weights of over 34 kg (75 lb).[12]
The color of pumpkins derives from orange carotenoid pigments, including beta-cryptoxanthin, alpha and beta carotene, all of which are provitamin A compounds converted to vitamin A in the body
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