‘Tis the time of year when thoughts turn to Thanksgiving, Halloween, and the Cucurbita family, that whacky family which encompasses all of those vegetables (fruits, actually) we call squash, pumpkins, and gourds.

            But despite determined attempts by horticulturists and botanists to nail down exactly how these three names should be used, the distinction remains generally dependent upon culinary usage, local tradition, and what our mothers called them. The term “generally” is used a lot when trying to categorize this vegetable.

            At the most unscientific level, the general rule of thumb goes that: pumpkins are carved; squash cooked; and gourds used for purely decorative purposes. Although, keep in mind that it is OK to call any of them a gourd since that is the common name for the entire Cucurbita family.  

            Squash are further divided into two groups. Summer squash are picked before maturity, when their seeds and skins are tender. They do not store well and need minimal or no cooking. This group includes zucchini, patty pan, and vegetable marrow. While they have little flavour of their own (You can’t seriously think they do?) they are perfect for soaking up other flavours, and are a favourite in Mediterranean cooking as a sponge for garlic and other strong cooking flavours. Think ratatouille here. They are perfect for stuffing with savoury meat or grain fillings, and their moisture content makes them a good addition to baked goods.

            Winter squash are perhaps what most of us have in mind when we think of a true squash. They are grown to maturity, when their rinds become tough, and thus they keep well into winter. All of my favourite gourds are in this group, including the turban, buttercup, and Hubbard. But if you were to look in any Australian cookbook, such as the Australian Women’s Weekly, you will need to look in the index under pumpkin to find recipes for these squash.

            This isn’t the first time I have run into this regional difference in terminology. In the Caymans, my girlfriend took me grocery shopping at a local Jamaican market, and bought a large chunk of squash with a thick, dark green rind, but she called it “pumpkin.” This pumpkin, calabaza, also known as West Indian pumpkin, is sometimes described as a pumpkin-like squash. I guess that covers all the bases.

            And then there are jack-o’-lanterns, I mean pumpkins.  The true pumpkins generally have round, orange fruit and fall somewhere between summer and winter squash because they are harvested at maturity but their rinds are still relatively soft, and do not keep like winter squash. The classic pumpkin, the one pictured on cans of pumpkin pie filling, is the Connecticut Field, a close ancestor of the original pumpkins indigenous to the North-Eastern States. There are now over a hundred different varieties of this orange globe developed either to improve pie-worthiness or jack-o’-lantern perfection. The traditional pumpkin, in fact, is not actually the best for eating at all. It has a thin layer of flesh, being mostly cavity and seeds, and the flesh that it does possess is often stringy and bland when cooked.

            Some varieties have been developed for use as decoration, such as the miniature pumpkins with names like Baby Boo and Spooktacular. Others have been developed with a large cavity size, good colour and shape specifically for use as jack-o’-lanterns. They have names like Happy Jack, Jack-O-Lantern (of course) and Jumpin' Jack. Other varieties have been developed for processing as pie filling. These are sweeter and have much more deep-orange flesh than the lantern pumpkins. Often, their names includes the word “sweet” or “pie” such as Boston Pie, Early Sugar, and, how about Yum Yum!

            Then there are the mammoth varieties, grown purely for frivolous reasons: to win big prizes. One variety, Atlantic Giant, has been known to grow over 1000 lbs, but to be petty; it actually is a squash!

            And often the pumpkin pie filling we get in cans is made from “pumpkins” that are squash, such as the very sweet Hubbard or butternut squash. I looked at the E.D.Smith can of pure pumpkin and it lists Dickinson, also technically a squash.

            The final, really iffy, category of Cucurbita are those called gourds. These are “generally” not used for eating (but some can be), they are often waxed or dried, and have been used for everything from drinking cups, to cooking vessels, to musical instruments, to body-hygiene products.  I told you it was a whacky family. The loofah is the dried skeleton of a squash that looks a bit like a zucchini. I don’t know what you thought it was, but I definitely thought it would be something more exotic than a zucchini!

            Do these semantics really matter to anyone? Well I suppose, unless you are someone who would die before eating squash, it really is just a matter of flavour. Professed squash haters, however, may have to rethink eating that next pumpkin pie.