10 things you probably didn't know about pumpkins
关于南瓜你可能不知道的10件事
By Rosane Oliveira, UC Davis
1. The word “pumpkin” originates from “peopon,” which means “large melon” in Greek. It then evolved to “pompon” in French and “pumpion” in Britain. The Americans later changed it to “pumpkin,” the name we still use today.
“南瓜”一词来源于“Peopon”，意思是希腊语中的“大甜瓜（large melon）”。而后，它演变成法语中的“pompon”和英语中的“pumpion”。后来美国人把它改成了“pumpkin”，沿用至今。
2. Every year, the US produces 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkin. 80 percent of this crop (around 800 million pumpkins) are ripe for picking in one single month of the year — October.
美国每年生产15亿磅南瓜。这种作物的80%(大约8亿个南瓜)在每年的10月成熟采摘。
3. Over 45 different varieties of pumpkin exist. They range in color including orange, red, yellow and green, and they boast names like Hooligan, Cotton Candy, and Orange Smoothie.
南瓜品种共超过45种。他们的颜色包括橙色，红色，黄色和绿色，他们的绰号有小流氓（Hooligan），棉花糖（Cotton Candy）和橙子冰沙（Orange Smoothie）。
4. Technically a fruit, the pumpkin is a winter squash in the family Cucurbitaceae which includes cucumbers and melons.
科学地讲，南瓜是葫芦科南瓜属的一种冬季瓜，该科也包括黄瓜和甜瓜。
5. Every single part of a pumpkin is edible: the skin, leaves, flowers, pulp, seeds, and stems.
南瓜的每一部分都是可食用的：皮、叶、花、果肉、种子和茎。
6. Interestingly, pumpkins are 92 percent water.
有趣的是，南瓜的92%是水。
7. Naturally low in energy density, pumpkins are an excellent source of potassium, vitamin A and beta-carotene, the powerful antioxidant that gives orange vegetables and fruits their color.
南瓜的能量密度较低，是钾、维生素A和β-胡萝卜素的优良来源，而胡萝卜素是一种强大的抗氧化剂，能使蔬菜和水果呈现出橘色。
8. Scientists believe that pumpkins originated in North America about 9000 years ago. The oldest pumpkin seeds have been found in Mexico and date back to somewhere between 7000-5550 B.C..
科学家们认为南瓜起源于大约9000年前的北美。在墨西哥发现的最古老的南瓜籽可以追溯到公元前7000到5550年间。
9. Pumpkins (along with other forms of squash) were a historically important food staple among Native Americans. They would grow the squash along river banks next to maize and beans, a planting technique that was called the “Three Sisters Method,” which allowed the three crops to sustain each other. Corn served as the trellis upon which the beans could climb; beans were nourished by the sunlight and kept the corn stalks stable on windy days, while also nourishing their soil; and pumpkins sheltered the corn’s shallow roots and prevented weeds from taking hold.
南瓜(和其他瓜一样)是美洲原住民历史上重要的食物。他们沿着河岸种植南瓜，玉米和豆子，这是一种被称为“三姐妹法”的种植技术，有利于这三种作物相互支持。玉米是豆子可以攀爬的格架；豆子在阳光下得到营养，在刮风的日子里帮助保持玉米杆的稳定，同时滋养它们的土壤；南瓜遮住了玉米的浅根，防止杂草丛生。
10. The practice of carving Jack-O’-Lanterns was brought to America by Irish immigrants. In their homeland, the Irish used to carve Jack-O’-Lanterns out of potatoes or turnips, but upon arrival in America, they began to use pumpkins instead because they were far easier to carve. The tradition of the “Jack-O’-Lantern” stems from an Irish legend about a man named Stingy Jack who was a somewhat unpleasant character famous for playing tricks on people.
杰克南瓜灯的雕刻技法是由爱尔兰移民带到美国的。在他们的祖国，爱尔兰人过去用土豆或萝卜雕刻杰克灯笼，但到美国后，他们开始使用更容易雕刻的南瓜。传统的“杰克灯笼”起源于爱尔兰的一个传说，一个名叫小气杰克的人，是一个有点令人不快的人物，以捉弄人而闻名。
