Why we have a national obsession over pumpkin spice

Its fall - the leaves have turned, Halloween is almost here and I’ll bet you’ve been craving all things pumpkin spice.  From picking up the ever popular Starbucks pumpkin spice latte to baking pumpkin spice brownies, it seems like we just can’t get enough.  We spray bomb our homes or light candles infused with the scent, use scented pumpkin deodorant and even wash our dogs in pumpkin spice pet shampoo.  Why are we so infatuated with this flavor?

First, flavor has little to do with why we crave it.  It has more to do with smell – 80% of flavor is actually what we smell.  Marketing knows this and has played a huge role in pushing the pumpkin spice craze.  Just the name alone - pumpkin spice - signals the return of the fall season giving the impression of comfort like wrapping ourselves in a warm, flannel blanket.

Blame it on the immense popularity of spiced pumpkin candles in which sales soared through the roof a couple of decades ago.  Since then, pumpkin spice has become a common seasonal scent and marketing experts, having an innate sense of what consumers want, jumped on this.  This is why today we have Jell-O brand pumpkin spice pudding, pumpkin spice Oreo cookies, Pringles pumpkin spice chips to Shedd’s Spread Country Crock brand pumpkin spice spread. They’re designed to make you want to stop and savor the flavor.  But again, flavor is not the main draw.  Its other factors involved creating an aura of how we perceive this blend and why we seek it out.

If you’ve ever smelled a pumpkin, you’d have to admit, there really is very little smell resemblance to how we define the smell of “pumpkin spice”.  The reason is because pumpkin spice mixtures do not actually involve using a pumpkin. Typically, they are composed of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, dry ginger, and clove or allspice mixed together and then labeled as “pumpkin spice.”

Food companies and food scientists are experts at being able to develop synthetic versions using various compounds and aromas designed to trick your brain into thinking you are actually consuming a mix of spices with pumpkin.   But, that’s okay as we simply love how it tastes and it creates that illusion of us eating a freshly baked pumpkin pie.

So, if flavor is not in the driver seat making us want to eat up everything with this taste, what is our insatiable addiction to pumpkin spice in the fall?  Here are three reasons why:

1.  It brings back the nostalgia of childhood memories

Close your eyes and remember back to childhood and the wonderful smells associated with fall.  The smell of “pumpkin spice” triggers all the remembrances of homemade baked goods and the pleasant associations we have from our past.  These associations include holiday gatherings, families, celebrations, pumpkin pie, sweets, and all the good things childhood memories are made of. It’s what makes pumpkin spice so trendy as it is our way of recreating those warm recollections of sentimentality we still harbor deep in our hearts.

2.  Pumpkin spice has a long history

The Western world is not the only place on earth loving all things pumpkin spice.  The allure of the pumpkin spice blend has a past all its own as it has been around and used for millennia in various cultures.  The feel-good association of it spans across the globe as similar mixtures of spices are used in Indian masala chai and Middle Eastern baklava often used in celebratory occasions and to ease the digestive issues of overindulgence.

3.  The taste is addictive

When we say “addictive” not in the same vein as drug abuse but kind of close.  When you combine pumpkin spice mixture with sugar, add in a hungry person, the fix is set.  At a subconscious, physiological level, people learn to associate that flavor with how delicious the combination is making you crave it.  Just thinking, hearing and definitely smelling pumpkin spice causes the body to have an anticipatory response to seek it out. Once you’ve been hooked, the more you reinforce the behavior, the more you want to consume it again …and again. 

Fall only comes once a year so if pumpkin spice is your obsession go ahead and revel in it while you can.  And actually try consuming pumpkin as it is a good source of vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, folate, potassium, copper, manganese, and fiber.  Even the spices used in pumpkin spice blend have health benefits with their high antioxidant levels along with plant compounds such as polyphenols helping to lower inflammation and blood glucose levels in people with diabetes.  Just be sure to use a light hand with the amount of sugar you add in.