Butternut squash

The word squash comes from the Narragansett word askutasquash, meaning "eaten raw or uncooked",{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/squash.html |title=How Did the Squash Get its Name? |publisher=Library of Congress|access-date=July 15, 2022}}Victor E. Boswell and Else Bostelmann. "Our Vegetable Travelers." The National Geographic Magazine. 96.2: August 1949. and butternut from the squash's nutty flavor. Although American native peoples may have eaten some forms of squash without cooking, today most squash is eaten cooked.

Before the arrival of Europeans, C. moschata had been carried over all parts of North America where it could be grown, but butternut squash is a modern variety of winter squash. It was developed by Charles Leggett of Stow, Massachusetts, who, in 1944, crossed pumpkin and gooseneck squash varieties.{{cite web | last1=Spitza | first1=Ashleigh | last2=Sentinel | first2=Milwaukee Journal | title=Butternut squash a brilliant choice for color and nutrition | website=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | date=2017-11-08 | url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/health/breathe/2017/11/08/butternut-squash-brilliant-choice-color-and-nutrition/814527001/ | access-date=2022-03-12}}

Baked butternut squash is 88% water, 11% carbohydrates, 1% protein, and contains negligible fat (table). In a reference amount of {{convert|100|g}}, it supplies {{convert|167|kJ|kcal|abbr=off}} of food energy and is a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value, DV) of vitamin A (70% DV), with moderate amounts of vitamin C (18% DV) and vitamin B₆ (10% DV) (table).

File:Cucurbita moschata 'Butternut' 3.jpg

The optimal eating period of butternut squash is 3-6 months after harvest. They are best kept at {{convert|10|C}} with 50 percent humidity.{{cite book|last1=Munro|first1=Derek B.|last2=Small|first2=Ernest|title=Vegetables of Canada|publisher=NRC Research Press|page=179|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z_yezcnaUHQC&pg=PA179|date=1997|access-date=2 February 2020|isbn=9780660195032}} For the best flavor, butternut squash should be left to cure for 2 months after harvest.{{Cite web|title=Curing & Storage Chart for Winter Squash {{!}} Johnny's Selected Seeds|url=https://www.johnnyseeds.com/growers-library/vegetables/winter-squash-eating-guide.html?q=curing|access-date=2020-09-18|website=johnnyseeds.com}}

One of the most common ways to prepare butternut squash is baking. Once cooked, it can be eaten in a variety of ways. The fruit is prepared by removing the skin, stalk, and seeds, which are not usually eaten or cooked.{{cite web |url=https://foraj-put-apa.ro/3-instructions-to-cook-butternut-squash/ |title=Butternut Squash |year=2008 |work=Veg Box Recipes |access-date=15 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928130634/http://vegbox-recipes.co.uk/ingredients/butternut-squash.php |archive-date=28 September 2013 |url-status=dead }} However, the seeds are edible, either raw or roasted, and the skin is also edible and softens when roasted. The seeds can even be roasted and pressed into an oil to create butternut squash seed oil. This oil can be used for roasting, cooking, on popcorn, or as a salad dressing.{{Cite web|last=Bilow|first=Rochelle|title=Butternut Squash Seed Oil Is Exactly What Your Pantry Has Been Missing|url=https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/butternut-squash-seed-oil|access-date=2020-06-15|website=Bon Appétit|date=24 August 2015 |language=en-us}}

In Australia, it is regarded as a pumpkin, and is used interchangeably with other types of pumpkin.{{Cite web|url=https://www.farmersweekly.co.za/crops/vegetables/the-strange-history-of-the-butternut/|title=The strange history of the butternut|date=2013-09-21|website=Farmer's Weekly|language=en-ZA|access-date=2020-03-29}}

In South Africa, butternut squash is commonly used and often prepared as a soup or grilled whole. Grilled butternut is typically seasoned with nutmeg and cinnamon or stuffed (e.g., spinach and feta) before being wrapped in foil and grilled. Grilled butternut is often served as a side dish to braais (barbecues) and the soup as a starter dish.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

Butternuts were introduced commercially in New Zealand in the 1950s by brothers Arthur and David Harrison, nursery workers, and Otaki market gardeners.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

Vegetable orchestras, such as the London Vegetable Orchestra use zucchini trumpets, butternut squash trombones, pumpkin drums and aubergine castanets.{{Cite news |last=Singh |first=Maanvi |date=2016-05-27 |title=Check Out These Musicians Who Literally Play With Their Food |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/05/27/479333096/check-out-these-musicians-who-literally-play-with-their-food |access-date=2025-04-07 |work=NPR |language=en}}

• Calabaza
• Kabocha
• Acorn squash
• Spaghetti squash

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{{wikispecies|Cucurbita moschata}}

{{Commons category|Cucurbita moschata bell group}}

{{Squashes and pumpkins}}

Category:Squashes and pumpkins

Category:Thanksgiving food