What Types Of Squash Are There

What Types Of Squash Are There

Low in fats and calories, but taste like butter, squash is one of the primary ingredients in any kitchen. You can either roast them, sautée them or puree them, they always taste great, and are healthy as well. So, before you embark on squash recipes, first of all know what types of squash are there. Read on this article at OneHowTo.com know find out.

Acorn squash

Shaped like an acorn, it is a small, orange, dark-green, buff-colored squash with a ribbed rind and an orange or yellow, moist interior. It can be perfectly roasted by halving, and filling the bowl with apples, chestnuts and currants. Its peeling is difficult, but because it has an edible skin, it can be cut into halves or sliced.

Image: flickr.com

Butternut

One of the most well-known types of squash is butternut. It is a belly-shaped, foot-long, variety of squash, with butterscotch colored, thin skin, and nutty, sweet flesh. It has a thin, smooth skin, due to which it is easy to peel than most other varieties of squash. It is abundant in flesh, and the one with thick, long neck is the best. Creamy and dense, it goes great with a diversity of flavors, including cinnamon, smoky bacon, balsamic vinegar etc. It is rich in vitamins A and C, and works great for soups, puree and roasting.

Calabaza or Pumpkin

Also known as the West Indian pumpkin, Cinderella pumpkin or the Pie Pumpkin, it is a popular variety of squash around the world. It has a juicy, sweet, orange golden flesh, similar in texture and taste to a butternut. It has a red orange, green or tan colored rind, that is hard to cut, and can be done with a cleaver efficiently. The one that you buy should have tightly grained flesh, without any wet spots. This variety of squash is great for baking dishes, there are thousands of options, but here are a few:

  • Pumpkin crisps
  • Pumpkin fritters
  • Pumpkin sponge cake

Kabocha

This is a pumpkin-shaped, Japanese squash, that has gained quick popularity due to its honey like sweetness, subtle flavor, and smooth fiber-less texture. It is identified by its jade green exterior with light green stripes. The flesh inside is pale orange in color. Denser and drier than most other types of squash, kabocha can be steamed, roasted, or pureed to make delicious recipes.

Delicata

Resembling a big, fat cucumber, it weighs a couple of pounds or less, and has yellow skin with dark green stripes. It is also known as sweet potato squash for its creamy texture and flavor. The best thing is that no peeling is necessary, as you can eat the skin too. This variety of squash is great for stuffing and roasting recipes.

Image: flickr.com

Spaghetti

Well, you can guess why this type of squash is known as spaghetti squash, right? Once cooked, this golden-colored squash turns into this strips that curl, resembling spaghetti. It is actually one of the best substitutes for regular grain pasta for people who want to lose weight or follow a gluten-free diet. You can also find another orange version known as orangetti.

Sweet dumpling

The sweet dumpling squash can be considered one of the smallest members of the squash family. Sweet in flavor, it is very moist, making it a favorite. You can stuff it to create a delicious savory dish or make a nice dessert with maple syrup, as you prefer!

Other varieties

We wouldn't want to forget talking about other more rare but not less tasty types of squash such as the red kuri squash, which is the sweetest of them all; the turban squash, that has a peculiar shape and is mostly used for decoration and the hubbard squash, that is commonly used in pumpkin pies due to its sweetness.

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