Pumpkins!

I am still craving anything made of pumpkin. So far this season I have sampled pumpkin muffins, pumpkin scones, pumpkin pie, pumpkin beer, pumpkin bread, and my favorite....pumpkin enchiladas!

Pumpkins (Cucurbita sp) are technically a squash that belong to the Cucurbitaceae family which also includes gourds. Pumpkins may have originated in North America and archaeological evidence from Mexico yielded seeds that date approximately 7000 to 5500 B.C.

Native North American and Mesoamerican populations practiced sustainable agriculture by utilizing pumpkins as part of the three sisters. The three sisters (also known as the Mesoamerican triad) included corn, beans, and squash. The beans put nitrogen back into soil so the corn could grow. The tall corn stalks provided a natural climbing trellis for the beans. The pumpkins would provide a protective ground cover for the corn roots and help keep out the weeds.

Here is my recipe for pumpkin enchilada's....enjoy!

First, I make the enchilada sauce.

• In a sauce pan - combine 1 can of tomato sauce thinned out with vegetable broth (or you can use chicken broth)
• Add 1 Jalapeno
• 3 cloves of garlic (more or less if you prefer)
• Add 1 tablespoon of cumin
• Simmer on low for about 20 mins.

Second, I make the filling in a large bowl.

• Combine 4 cups of fresh cooked pureed pumpkin (or approx. 2 cans of pumpkin puree) with 1 can of black beans.
• Add as much shredded cheese of your preference to the mix.
• Next you can add other vegetables if you like....corn perhaps? I usually add kale (about 2 large greens) I also add a sprinkle of black pepper.
• I use various tortillas for my enchilada's - Wheat tortillas are my favorite!
• I use about 6 tortillas for to fit an approximate 9x12 size glass baking dish. I cut them down the middle when I serve them.
• Add the filling and then roll them up.
• Put a little sauce in the bottom of the glass dish before you add the tortillas. Then generously pour the sauce over them.
• I add some shredded cheese to the top.
• Bake for about 25 min at 350 degrees or until the sauce bubbles.

The Anthropology of Food

Welcome to my blog, The Food Anthropologist.
What is anthropology? Anthropology is the study of humankind or humanity. The field of anthropology is generally divided into four subfields which includes, biological anthropology, archaeology, cultural anthropology, and linguistics. Many of these subfields of course overlap. My main field of interest is in biological anthropology which studies the physical aspects of humankind. Topics of study may include the evolution of the human diet or how the development of agriculture has affected our health as a population. I also consider myself to be a Food Anthropologist, which is someone that studies the human relationship to food and eating. The Anthropology of Food is generally studied bio-culturally and as you can imagine there are many topics that can be explored. If it relates to food you just might read about it here since that is what my blog is all about.
Check out SAFN: Society for the Anthropology of Food and Nutrition http://www.nutritionalanthro.org/index.php

A friend of mine once described two types of people, those that "live to eat" and those that "eat to live." Think about that for a moment.....which person are you? I most certainly "live to eat!" I am always thinking about my next meal. A delicious meal gives me energy, brings me pleasure and satisfaction with each bite. I look forward to meals shared with friends and family. Which brings me to my first official topic, cooking meals.

Do you enjoy a home cooked meal? Thank a hominid.
I recently read Richard Wrangham's book, Catching Fire: How cooking made us human. Wrangham's theory proposes that cooking is responsible for our evolutionary success as a human race. Once our early hominid ancestors acquired the ability to manipulate and control fire then they were able to cook their food. Wrangham argues that the ability to cook food increased human brain growth and the shrinking of our digestive tract. " Cooking increased the value of our food. It changed our bodies, our brains, our use of time, and our social lives."

Tubers are nutritious!
What foods did our early ancestors cook? Plant foods (mostly tubers) were the main item on the menu for early hominids. Cooking tubers helped to increase calorie intake and provided more energy. Some anthropologists believe that the extra calories plus larger brains allowed our early ancestors to start hunting.