The surprisingly yummy pumpkin

When I was living in Portugal one of my favorite experiences was to try some of their different pastries. I remember my weekends often starting with a calm walk to our local cafe and sharing a different sweet treat with my husband. In my first full year in Lisbon I asked David if it was traditional to have specific fall flavor breads. He seemed confused as he would remind me that Portuguese pastries are good all year-round. I laughed but pressed on: “You know, like pumpkin bread!” This question led to an intriguing expression in his face. Almost as if he was telling me he didn’t think it was good but… he wasn’t sure why. The more I pressed on the more it was obvious he didn’t know what I was talking about. David disregarded the need to try anything like I was describing but from that moment on I was focused on making him the same Pumpkin Bread I grew up loving with my family.

The next few days were adventurous for me. Not only did I try to understand the intriguing disregard for anything pumpkin, I also spent hours looking for my main ingredients. Both took some digging around but I finally got to it. The question around pumpkin flavor unearthed a silent family rule in David’s family: no one would eat pumpkin because his Dad didn’t like it. Or so he thought. When I spoke to my mother-in-law she secretly told me she would sometimes puree some pumpkin into soups but that her husband was unaware. We both laughed as I asked my late father-in-law if he liked pumpkin and he quickly told me he couldn’t stand it. All I could think of was how my Portuguese family was missing out on an amazing treat! While in America we can easily purchase pumpkin puree in a can, there is no such thing in Portugal; at least not when I lived there. So I took matters into my own hands. First I purchased a whole pumpkin, and after cutting it into cubes I had to boil it. This activity seemed simple but then I had to let it drain. This step took longer than expected but after 2 days I was finally able to pureeing it for bread. The whole process was long but now I was ready to bake.

While it was a labor of love to make Pumpkin Bread in Portugal, it was worth it. I was now introducing a new tradition to my Portuguese family. My husband loved the first bite and from that moment on he was hooked. This recipe is approved for cottage bakers and is an exact replica to my grandmother’s that I’ve been making for over 20 years. Still, I had another challenge: having my father-in-law try it. I still remember him eating it. After his first bite I told him it was Pumpkin Bread. He smiled back and told me it was “surprisingly yummy’!

You can now try it too. Our Pumpkin Bread is now available for orders.

Courtney