Let's Give 'em Pumpkin to Talk About Quiz

Answer: torpedo pumpkin

Cucurbita moschata has a number of cultivars, some called pumpkin, some called squash. This particular cultivar is called a squash in North America, but a pumpkin in Australia and New Zealand. Some parts of Australia, mostly in New South Wales, also refer to it as gramma, although technically gramma is a similar cultivar that was developed locally well before the butternut ws developed around 1940. In the first part of the 20th century, gramma was also called rio or rhio, apparently because it was thought to have originated from Brazil.

Butternut squash has a relatively thin skin, and some people like to leave it on when they are baking or roasting, then eat the skin along with the flesh. When it is being pureed, for a pie or a soup, it is usually peeled first.

Answer: South America

All members of the genus Cucurbita have their origins in Mexico and South America, although many cultivars are more regional. Cucurbita maxima were originally developed in Argentina and Bolivia before spreading. There are African plants with fruits similar to those of the Cucurbita, but they are in the genus Lagenaria.

The adult fruit of Lagenarians is often used as a tool or vessel, while the young fruit is often eaten like a squash or pumpkin.

Answer: It is edible when young, but not when mature.

The two names provide a clue: the specific name comes from the Latin word for a foul smell, while the common name of gourd is usually applied to plants whose mature fruit is not edible. The mature fruit has a smell reminiscent of petrochemicals, which leads to some of its other common names: buffalo gourd and coyote gourd suggest it is fit for animals; fetid gourd, fetid wild pumpkin and stinking gourd suggest the odor. Some less pejorative names include Missouri gourd, prairie gourd, calabazilla and chilicote.

Cucurbita foetidissima is found in Mexico, and through central and southwestern parts of the United States. It requires little water, so is well suited for growing in arid regions.

Answer: True

As the name suggests, the skin is indeed thin, and easily damaged, so they need careful handling. They are more commonly known as peanut squash or sweet potato squash. The latter name reflects the fact that its flesh is orange, unlike a number of related cultivars such as the zucchini and yellow crookneck squash, both considered summer squashes which are harvested when immature, and their flesh is still pale.

Delicata squash is often prepared by cutting it in half lengthways, removing the seeds, and filling the cavity with minced meat and/or vegetables before baking. The seeds make a tasty treat when washed and toasted; they can then be salted and eaten by the handful, or used to provide a crunch to the surface of a loaf of bread, or on top of a salad.

Answer: Queensland blue pumpkin

The name comes because they have a blue skin and were originally developed in Queensland (although they are now more widely grown). Their skins are usually thicker than the example in the picture, making it rather difficult to remove. When the pumpkin is being roasted to serve as a vegetable, they are often sliced and cooked, allowing consumers to cut the rind away as they eat.

This is also the traditional pumpkin to use in that Queensland classic, the pumpkin scone. (In this context, a scone is a quick bread resembling a baking powder biscuit.) The pumpkin flesh is boiled and mashed before being worked into the dough, using a pumpkin to flour ratio of 1:2.

Answer: Acorn squash

This is a winter squash, with a soft orange flesh. They are relatively small, and it is common to offer a half squash as an individual serving. My family has always enjoyed them prepared by placing butter, brown sugar and sherry in the cavity of each half, then baking them until tender.

More savory fillings (or none) are also common. The yellow flowers are edible, and are often served stuffed with a cheese filling before being baked or deep fried.

Answer: Japan

The term is actually used in Japan both in reference to the specific cultivars of buttercup squash developed there after Portuguese sailors introduced them in 1541, and more casually to any variant of C. maxima. Kabocha squash are often called Japanese squash in North America.

There are a number of cultivars, with flavours generally sweet, and some said to resemble sweet potatoes. The use in cooking is similar to most other orange-fleshed cucurbitae, but in Japan it is more likely to be served as a vegetable tempura or in a soup than in a dessert.

Answer: Banana

A banana squash gets its name from the shape, and because their skin is often yellow - but pink ones are also found. They can be quite large, reaching nearly a metre in length with a mass up to 15kg! They are often cut into smaller pieces before being put on the greengrocer's shelf, meaning you have to plan to use it fairly quickly.

Their flesh is similar to many other winter squashes, firmer than some, and mild in flavour. They can be roasted, steamed (then mashed or prepared into a pie filling) or used for a hearty soup.

A personal favourite preparation is baking cubed pieces so that they caramelize, then serving the cooled pieces on a bed of baby spinach, topped with pine nuts and dabs of goat cheese.

Answer: After cooking, the flesh separates into long ribbons.

There are a number of cultivars of C. pepo subsp. pepo with this property, so you can get your vegetable spaghetti in a range of skin and flesh colours. Once cooked, usually as a whole melon, the flesh is easily removed from the rind, coming away in strips that are the thickness and length of traditional spaghetti pasta.

Their flavour blends well with a traditional red pasta sauce, which is one popular way of serving them. Parents trying to increase vegetable consumption in the family may find that the extra entertainment factor makes them more appealing than run-of-the-mill vegetables such as peas and carrots.

Answer: False

Calabaza is the Spanish word for pumpkin (or winter squash) of any type. The English calabash is a loan word from Middle French - but whether it arrived there via Spanish, Portuguese or Persian is a matter of debate.

In North America the term calabaza usually to a type of C. moschata found in the Caribbean and nearby coastal regions. However, some other species with fruits resembling these are also regionally known as calabaza or calabash. In the Philippines, where they were introduced by the Spanish, kalabasa is a staple vegetable, and both flowers and leaves from young plants are commonly used in soupd.