The flavor combination we know as pumpkin spice is a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice. Usually, any three of those spices will do the trick. But why is it so popular? First, we must remember that most products labeled as pumpkin spice do not contain any pumpkin. It's not necessary. If you give someone a pumpkin spice product, say, a drink or a donut, and don't tell them what flavor it's supposed to be, they might guess pumpkin spice, but they are also liable to guess apple pie, since the same spices are often used in apple pie.
Johns Hopkins University professor Jason Fischer has been leading a team researching the appeal behind pumpkin spice, and says it has to do with our associations. When we taste this flavor profile, we think of autumn, a pleasant season with several holidays and distinctive foods. It therefore follows that if we consumed items flavored or scented with pumpkin spice year-round, we might lose those associations with autumn. We also might grow tired of it, which is why food companies only roll out the flavor profile in ...late August.
As it is, we think of pumpkin pie from our childhood when we eat something labeled as pumpkin spice, which means Thanksgiving. We might also think of apple pie or caramel apples, and apples are an autumn fruit. We might think of gingerbread, which is a Christmas treat. Or even hot cocoa, which we rarely drink in summer. Add orange, and I will always think of Christmas spice tea. That's why you should never keep pumpkin spice products around and try them in March. It just won't be the same. -via NPR
Not everything benefits from the addition of pumpkin spices. Alonzo Lerone tried different foods labeled "pumpkin spice" so that we don't have to.
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