À DÉTESTER: The Price of Pumpkin Pie

The price of being an American in Paris: €8.50 for a can of low-grade pumpkin mash at le Bon Marché.

Whenever American visitors come to Paris, they always ask me two things: what I love about living in France, and what I miss about the United States.  I have my pat answers — on the French side, the overall lifestyle, the healthcare and the cut of women's and men's clothing, and on the American side, the customer service, the strong work ethic and the year-round sales.  

I must now remember to add pumpkin pie to the list of things that I miss.  Pumpkin pie, I have discovered, is a uniquely American dessert.  The very idea of it makes some French men and women turn green — and not with envy.  I once hosted a Thanksgiving dinner just for French friends, who were all eager to try la dinde farcie (literally, stuffed turkey), la purée de pommes de terre (which one friend mispronounced in English as "smashed potatoes," a malapropism that I have since adopted) and le pumpkin pie.  

In France, le potiron (small pumpkin with a squash-like flavor) is typically served salé — savory.  Mostly it is eaten as puréed soup, seasoned with salt, pepper, a tiny bit of garlic and crème fraîche.  So everyone at my French Thanksgiving was eager to try this new form of pumpkin-eating made from the large citrouille that is grown all over the United States, with the exception of one friend who looked, well . . . afraid.

Understanding his malaise, as I had a similar reaction the first time I tried pumpkin salé, I briefed everyone on what to expect.  "This pie is légèrement sucré," I told them.  Lightly sweetened.  "And spiced with cannelle (cinnamon), gingembre (ginger) and clou de girofle (clove)."  I saw a few raised eyebrows, and I knew instantly what it was about: the French do not generally like spiced foods, and they are definitely unused to the heavy doses of cinnamon that Americans adore.

I sliced the pie, making sure that each guest also got a handsome dollop of whipped cream because it is a treat that almost everyone in France likes.  They took up their dessert forks.  The room went silent.  The pie was tasted.  Then came the first responses.  I heard a surprised, "Mmmm!" from one corner of the table and something that sounded like a choke from the other.  I glanced at the guest who had looked so afraid and saw that he was in grave danger of vomiting.  "You don't have to finish it!" I told him.  He looked at me sheepishly, gratefully.  "Sorry," he said before pushing the pie as far away from himself as possible. 

No one else had such a strong negative reaction, but the guests definitely fell into two camps: those who loved it, and those who thought it was an interesting experience, but not something they would ever want to repeat.  

I understand the second camp completely because I feel the same way about foie gras.  But I can't help being annoyed that, because of the pumpkin pie haters, I and every other American must pay exorbitant sums for low-grade cans of pumpkin in Paris — if, that is, we can manage to track them down.  

Comments

[christine]

Oh my....can I relate to this story. I think this is something expats know all too well round this time of year.

[Laetitia]

I must say that thanks to you, I was able to explain to one of my (French) students what pumpkin pie was and how it tasted! However he didn't seem really enthusiastic...!
In the end, whether we like it or not, it's important to share your culture. So thanks for that.

(Most of French people will never admit that "food which comes from the country that created McDonald's" is good! - And the same ones happen to go to... "McDo" :)

[Kristi Dorson]

That's hilarious! It never occurred to me that pumpkin pie might be unfamiliar in France. Are pumpkins expensive in France? It's pretty easy to make your own pumpkin puree if you can get a small pumpkin and have a food processor! Failing that, maybe we could just mail you a box of Libby's from the States. Are we allowed to do that? (The shipping cost might outweigh the savings though, heh!)

[Laetitia]

Ah ah, yes, I flew in with cranberries, cream cheese and 2 cans of pumpkin puree in my suitcase. Probably the only french person EVER to bring American food back to the US ;-)

[Lupinssupins]

Huit euros cinquante (j'sais pas le code "Alt" pour le symbole pour euros)for a poorer version?! Quel scandale! During my year in Paris, mumblety-two-ahem yrs ago, my roomies & I hosted Thanksgiving for a large group of our classmates stuck in lodging w/o a kitchen, plus some brave copains francais. The super-marchés are now so much more Americanized than back then, when the only turkey to be had was en escalope. Closest we could come to the traditional Thanksgiving experience, farcie et tout, was a goose (& we had to deal w/ the head, feet & feathers!) I think we pureed our own citrouille for our pumpkin pie. I love your description of the reactions to yours! It's one thing for the French to turn green at such an acquired taste as peanut butter (esp. given their idea of nut butter is something as heavenly as Nutella!) But to gag at such a delicacy as pumpkin pie? Sad. It reminded me of when our French comp. instructor CALLED ME OUT, in class, for what he considered a failed dictionary translation in my Thanksgiving entry in our mandatory daily journal. "Comment dit-on 'frozen potatoes'?" he asked me. I had no idea why anyone would WANT to say such a thing-- beurk! He proceeded to "correct" my usage of "patates glacées." Jeez, I'd known what pommes de terres are since I learned to talk! I explained that I'd meant to say "glazed sweet potatoes." When I explained the concept, he granted that I'd said it correctly. But his turn to wonder why anyone would want to say, let alone eat, such a thing! His loss. My mom's were the best! No jarred marshmallow gooped "smashed" yams chez nous! [I love your malapropism -- I use it, too:-] Her pumpkin pie recipe is also the best!

Bonne fete de l'Action de Graces!

[Jessica]

For a Euro or two you can buy enough potimarron and butternut squash in a local market to make your own puree... it's pretty easy (I checked out Martha Stewart's website to figure out how to roast and puree, and honestly it's easier than mashed potatos!

[Niki]

Yes, pumpkin is served as a savoury in Australia too; roasted alongside a roast leg of lamb, in soups, curries etc. But I tasted pumpkin pie in the US last year and loved it! It took an ENORMOUS amount of convincing to get my friends & family to try the one I made for Christmas day last year, after finding a $$$$ tin of Libby's in a food hall of a pricey department store. I love heavily-spiced sweets, but not everyone does. I can't say many who tried it fell in love with it, but there was, at least, no retching!

[emma]

Probably too late for this year, but you can find pure puree of pumpkin (no sugar, salt, or additives) at Picard, the fantastic frozen food purveyor. They even have an organic version ('bio'); both only a couple of euros. When defrosted, the yield is two cups; perfect for a pumpkin pie (or quick bread).

Picard also carries pureed sweet potatoes, with some creme fraiche added. Miam!

No need to pay the highway robbery prices of La Grande Epicerie or even the various anglosaxon grocers in Paris.

[Anne]

I met a French lady who had lived in Cleveland for a couple of years when her husband was studying at Case Western Reserve. She told me how much she loved the U.S. and its people, pretty much everything, she said, except the pumpkin pie.

[Don Madrid]

I have the same situation here in Spain although we have a store that specializes in American foodstuff. A mere 6 € for pumpkin pie filling!
9 € for Lucky Charms however. You don't want to know what a Poptart costs.

Maple syrup is problematic here, people either love it or hate it. They don't seem to understand that the only reason pancakes exist is to transport syrup from the plate to my mouth.

[J.A., your Foreign Parts correspondent]

Emma: Thanks for the Picard tip. I have always avoided Picard because I'm afraid of a grocery store that sells only frozen foods, but in this case I think I'll buy my pumpkin there!

And Don Madrid: I agree completely about the maple syrup. What's a pancake without it? By the way, have you ever tried maple butter? MMMMMMMM

-- J.A., your Foreign Parts correspondent

[Kacy Atkin]

http://www.thanksgivingparis.com/

I got a can for 3.50! Made a delicious pumpkin pie!

[Uigei]

I prefer sweet potato pie, but will gladly scarf down pumpkin pie if it is available.
I have to be honest, I have always had a problem with finicky folks....but then again I'm a foodie and just love the idea of eating in general

[sarah]

well, i was going to say: no worries! just buy yourself a potiron and make the puree yourself!

and then i remembered that the wedge i bought to make pie set me back 10E.

(although it was organic, so ...)

[Anna]

I had the same thing this year. I'm from NZ so I'm used to eating pumpkin exclusively as a savory dish. After living in the US for a few years, pumpkin pie is by far one of my favourite desserts. And this year, well I had to make sure I made something. Looked high and low for many many weeks, eventually purchasing pureed pumpkin from Picard. But it's not the same as canned! The flavour is definitely weaker. Tasty but still not the same. So applause to you for forking out the 8€50.

[Brent]

I'll second the sweet potato pie mention. I made it for the first time only this year, and I found it silkier and more flavorful, as well as easier to make. Mark Bittman's NY Times recipe is a gem.

I do think it's funny, though, that your French guests had a time with your pie. It's essentially a custard made with vegetable matter in place of milk, a "crème non-brûlée" or "quiche sucrée", if you will. And what quiche isn't made without nutmeg?!