The holiday season is here, Greater Cincinnatians! That means quality time with our favorite relatives, beloved family traditions, gifts galore and festive feasts.
Regardless of where you dine, you will likely find beloved dishes like dressing, macaroni and cheese, green bean casserole and the grand finale: pie.
But what is the official pie of the season: pumpkin or sweet potato? According to Herald Mail-Media, your pie preferences may depend on two factors: where youre from and your family traditions. If youve been on Twitter in the last decade, you know the debate between the two autumnal desserts is a long-standing topic.
Differences between pumpkin and sweet potato pie
According to The Great Bake, pumpkin and sweet potato pie are commonly mistaken for one another due to their similar color, taste and texture. The competing pies also known to contain similar spices like cinnamon, ginger and cloves.
Despite the similarities, there are notable differences. For instance, The Great Bake states that sweet potato pie typically has a lighter filling, coarser texture and sweeter taste, whereas pumpkin pie is denser and has more spices. The Herald Mail-Media reports that raw pumpkin is usually bland, so spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg help give it flavor.
As its name suggests, sweet potatoes have a naturally sugary, bold flavor. Therefore, fewer spices are used in the making of sweet potato pie as opposed to its gourd rival.
Another notable difference between the two Thanksgiving treats is that pumpkin pie is made using fresh, pureed, canned or roasted pumpkins. While sweet potato pie can be made using canned sweet potatoes or yams, it almost always contains fresh vegetables. If fresh sweet potatoes are substituted with canned alternatives, pie purists may question the validity of the dessert and the individual responsible for making it.
Origins of the pumpkin vs. sweet potato debate
Tracing the roots of this decades-old rivalry is no simple task. It may be easy to sum up the debate with the stereotype that pumpkin pie is eaten by white people, predominantly in the Northeast, and sweet potato pie is eaten by Black people, mainly in the South. But that would be an oversimplification of the complex history of two iconic American desserts.
First, lets start with the origins of sweet potato pie. According to The Washington Post, sweet potatoes were first cultivated in Peru. Shipments of the root crop were sent to West Africa and Western Europe by Spanish traders during the 16th century.
Although West African cooks never gravitated toward sweet potatoes, their European counterparts did. Southern Kitchen reports that other root crops, such as cassava and yams, were more widely used, particularly in savory dishes.
The Washington Post reports that sweet potatoes, once referred to as “the white mans yam,” became popular in Europe and America during the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Black and white southern cooks implemented sweet potatoes into their culinary repertoire because they were easier to grow than pumpkins due to the warmer climate of the region. In turn, cooks from the North preferred to use the more accessible gourds.
Because many enslaved Africans did not have access to pumpkins or the yams they were used to, they improvised with sweet potatoes and were able to create new recipes reminiscent of home. Now this innovation has become a staple of Black American culture.
But where did pumpkin pie originate from? Well, the decadent pastry shares a similar history to its sweet potato doppelgänger.
According to the History Channel, pumpkins also originated in Central America and were brought to Europe in the 1500s. Over a decade later, pumpkins gained popularity with New England settlers who traveled to America on the Mayflower in 1620.
By the 18th century, Thanksgiving rose in significance in New England, along with the regions dessert of choice: Pumpkin pie.
But the debate was hardly settled.
According to The Washington Post, “After Emancipation, the ethnic and regional divides between pumpkin and sweet potato pies were laid bare in the national and regional media.”
The History Channel reports that in the mid-19th century, pumpkin pie became a topic frequently found in the written works of several famous abolitionists such as Sarah Josepha Hale and Lydia Maria Child.
Their love for the pie, and former president Abraham Lincolns official Thanksgiving proclamation of 1863, made southern states feel their preferences were being replaced with northern traditions.
In short, the North (especially New England) was team pumpkin pie. But southern and Black communities were loyal sweet potato pie lovers.
While descendants of enslaved people have since formed communities all over the country, the love and loyalty toward sweet potato pie remain the same, as does the decades-long rivalry between the two delicious desserts.
Sweet Potato vs. Pumpkin Pie – Which Is Better?
What is the difference between pumpkin pie and sweet potato pie?
Pumpkin pie has a slightly richer and sweeter flavor, while sweet potato pie has a slightly earthier and sweeter flavor. Both pies are similar in texture, although pumpkin pie tends to have a slightly more dense filling. Both pies are popular desserts during the holiday season, and they are often served at Thanksgiving and Christmas meals.
What is the different between sweet potato and potato?
Sweet potatoes differ from other potato varieties in appearence, taste, and nutrition. Regular potatoes have white or Yell flesh inside, while sweet potatoes are know for having orange innards. With respect to nutritional value, sweet potato has fewer calories (103 calories per 100 grams) compare to regular potatoes (129 calories per 100 grams).
Should you roast sweet potato and pumpkin in a pie?
When preparing a sweet potato and pumpkin pie combination, we recommend roasting both vegetables. That way, they’ll have an equally rich flavor. Otherwise, if you use the fresh version of one vegetable and a canned version of another, your pie could end up tasting more like the freshly roasted one.
Can you substitute sweet potatoes for pumpkin pie?
You can even entirely substitute sweet potato for a pumpkin pie recipe or vice versa. The only thing you should take care of is the amount of sugar you use. Since sweet potatoes are sweeter than pumpkins, you’ll likely want to reduce the amount of sugar if you’re using them in a pumpkin pie recipe.