17th Century Colonial Recipe: Stewed Pompion

From Jane Doherty:
A 17th Century Colonial Recipe: Stewed Pompion
This is a delicious recipe for pumpkin. It is one of the earliest written recipes from New England. The recipe is in a book written by John Josselyn who traveled to New England in the 1600's. (John Josselyn, Two Voyages to New England.)

John Josselyn called this recipe a "standing dish." That means that this sort of pumpkin dish was eaten everyday or even at every meal. He also called it "ancient" because English housewives had cooked this recipe in New England for a long time.

A Dish of Stewed Pompion
4 cups of cooked squash, roughly mashed*

3 tablespoons butter

2 to 3 teaspoons cider vinegar

1 or 2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a saucepan over medium heat, stir and heat all the ingredients together. Adjust seasonings to taste, and serve hot.

*Note: To cook squash, peel, chop and boil in enough water to cover until fork can be easily inserted in squash. Drain and mash.