But it turns out that pumpkins—along with the rest of Cucurbita, the plant genus that includes gourds and squash, have us to thank, too.
More than 10,000 years ago, the extremely bitter-tasting wild ancestors of Cucurbita plants were thriving across the New World, along with the large mammals such as giant sloths and mammoths that grazed on them.
Today those wild plants are rare, whereas the sweet-tasting domesticated species are extremely common—in our gardens, that is.
One finding is that the plants weren't domesticated once but several times by the native people of the New World.
Those giant mammals that ate the bitter Cucurbita fruit and dispersed their seeds all went extinct.
Without the seed dispersal service of giant mammal poop, those plants got crowded out of the landscape.
There is much to be thankful for, even if you're on the menu this Thanksgiving. »