Which spice company commercially introduced blended pumpkin pie spice in 1934?

McCormick & Company commercially introduced blended pumpkin pie spice in 1934.

Pumpkin pie spice is a pre-mixed seasoning blend created for convenience, not a spice that comes from pumpkins. Typical versions combine ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves; some also include allspice. The precise proportions vary by brand and recipe.

The blend has older culinary precedents. American pumpkin-pie recipes were already using combinations of spices in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Amelia Simmons’s 1796 cookbook American Cookery, for example, seasoned “pompkin” pie with ingredients including mace, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and ginger in different versions.

The 1934 commercial introduction helped turn a traditional flavor combination into a packaged pantry product. Another common misconception is that pumpkin spice contains pumpkin. It does not: the name refers to the blend’s traditional use in pumpkin-pie filling. Today, the same flavor profile appears in drinks, baked goods, desserts, and savory seasonal products.