Pattypan Squash

Pattypan squash, or baby summer squash, look elegant served whole with an entree. Photo courtesy of Melissas.com.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

MELISSA HOM is an editorial intern at THE NIBBLE.

 

 

June 2006
Updated October 2009

Product Reviews / Main Nibbles / Vegetables

Squash Glossary

Types Of Squash For Summer, Winter And Year-Round

Page 7: Kabocha, Pattypan, Pumpkin & Other Squash Types Beginning With K To R

This is Page 7 of an eight-page glossary featuring different types of squash. Here, squash types beginning with K to R include unusual squash types, the best-known of which are the kabocha, pattypan and of course, the pumpkin. More rare varieties include the lumina, orangetti and red kuri squash. Click here to recommend a variety we haven’t included. Click on the black links below to visit the other pages. See our more than 50 other food glossaries, each featuring a different favorite food.

 

Type Of Squash Get To Know Me

Kabocha Squash

“Kabocha” is the general term for squash in Japanese, but this Japanese squash also goes by the name ebisu, delica, hoka and (you guessed it) Japanese squash or Japanese pumpkin. The mossy-green rind with spotted streaks of gray-teal encase tender, sweet pumpkin flesh, but without the stringy fibers.

Available year-round.
kabocha squash

Luffa Gourd

See Chinese okra.

 

Lumina Squash

A round, white squash that is sometimes carved like a pumpkin for decoration.

Available in the fall and throughout winter.  

lumina

Mo Qua Squash

Mo qua is a squash of Chinese origin. A relative of winter melon, mo qua looks like a zucchini with medium green skin and is covered with fuzzy white hairs. Like zucchini, the flesh is light-colored, slightly firm, mildly flavored and can absorb the flavor of any food it is combined with. Peeled, seeded and cubed, Mo Qua is usually stir-fried, braised, boiled or added to soups.

Mo-qua Squash
Mo qua is available year-round at Melissas.com.

Orange Hokkaido Squash

See red kuri squash.

 

Orangetti Squash or Vegetable Spaghetti

The pale, orange-fleshed cousin of the spaghetti squash shares the same quality of separating into long spaghetti-like strands as it cooks. The watermelon- shaped orangetti squash is golden and smooth, and its delicate strands can be cooked like a conventional squash. But it is especially impressive piled on top of a plate, like real pasta.

Available August through October.
orangetti squash

Pattypan or Sunburst Squash or Baby Summer Squash

These cute, dreidl-like squash come in yellow, green and white. They have scalloped edges and, like most other summer squash, a thin skin and tender meat. They can cook in the microwave, bake in the oven, on the stove, or can be used cooked or uncooked as a charming garnish for any dish.

Available year-round, but the peak season is May through August.

sunburst squash

Pebbled or Warty

Refers to the bumps on the surface of some varieties of squash. The crookneck squash in the photo at right is an excellent example. The pebbles are considered to add to the attractiveness as decorative gourds, and have no impact on flavor.

Crookneck Squash

Pumpkin

Drier, coarser and more strongly flavored than most other squash, pumpkins are harbingers of of autumn, for Halloween Jack-O-Lanterns and evocative of pumpkin pie. They are mostly ornamental; most people who bake with pumpkin do so with the canned variety due to the time demands of preparing the fresh, fibrous flesh; and much canned “pumpkin” is a less fibrous variety of squash. There are many pumpkin variations, such as the Gold Dust, Jack-Be-Little, Lil-Pump-Kee-Mon, Wee-Be-Little, and various white pumpkins (Baby-Boo, Cotton Candy, Valenciano and others).

Available year round, but best in the early fall throughout winter.
pumpkin

Red Etampes Squash

See Cinderella Pumpkin.

 

Red Kuri Squash or Uchiki Kuri Squash or Orange Hokkaido

With butter-colored flesh that is smoother than butternut squash, this teardrop-shaped squash with an intense, sunset-colored rind has a pronounced, distinctive chestnut flavor. It makes it a unique soup base that lends itself to pairings with many other ingredients.

Available year-round. Best season is late summer through early fall.
red kuri squash

 

Continue To Page 8: Squash Types Beginning With S To Z

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Lifestyle Direct, Inc. All rights reserved. The photos in this squash glossary are courtesy of Goebel Farms, Melissa’s, MorgueFile and Melissa Hom, except as noted. Images are the copyright of their respective owners.