For as long as I can recall, fall has been my favorite season. I cherish and savor every smell, every taste, every sight: crisp leaves that run the gamut of colorful colors, Halloween-y decorations, cornucopias and gourds, fall harvest welcomes, pumpkin carving, apple picking, spooky TV and movies (I've always been especially partial to the enduring nostalgic appeal of 90s Nickelodeon gem Are You Afraid of the Dark), songs and movie soundtracks, maple syrup, Thanksgiving, fall candles, sweater weather, "spooky szn," the brisk chill in the air, soups and stews galore, the slight shift in aroma that inevitably comes as summer morphs and shifts into autumn, the introduction of hearty, warming comfort foods, my birthday, and — as it should go without saying — all things pumpkin and pumpkin spice.
The undisputed harbinger and face of the season, pumpkin spice began as a simple pie flavoring before blossoming into a stalwart autumnal icon, elevated far beyond merely a seasoning blend and into a societal and cultural emblem. While the espresso beverage is what initially launched the flavor to the stratosphere, it's now crept into everything from SPAM (yes, you read that right) and pasta to breakfast items and baked goods.
