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Cucurbits - General & History
Why should we care what's a Cucumber, Winter Squash, Summer Squash, Pumpkin, Gourd or Melon? Which is which in culinary terms is not always clear, but if you know what they are you know a lot about how they will cook. Gourds, for instance, may look a lot like summer squash, but they cook quite differently. It's also important if you're trying to use the right thing for an ethnic dish.
Cucumbers
Cucumbers (C.Cucumis.sativus) originated in India and are harvested
short of maturity when they are green and the flesh is white, crisp and
watery (they are never hollow). They are often pickled but also eaten raw
in salads and sometimes cooked. When mature they turn soft, yellow and quickly
rot. Varieties and Detail.
Squash
Squash (including Pumpkins)
are all originally from North, Central or South America, and nearly all belong
to the genus Cucurbita (Cucurbit Cucurbita for clarity - (thanks, guys)). They
were unknown in Europe, Africa or Asia until after 1500 but many are popular
there now. Some squash dry out to a hard shell and become the decorative
"gourds" you see around Thanksgiving, but they aren't really gourds.
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Summer Squash [Marrow (UK)] are harvested quite immature and are generally cooked, but are sometimes used raw in salads. They have thin tender skins, watery flesh and are not hollow because the seed mass is filled with pulp. They are easily overcooked, producing a mush with skins in it so use care. Summer squash need refrigeration and even so don't last more than a week. Most are botanically C.pepo which may have originated in North America but was used mostly in Mexico before 1500. Winter Squash are harvested when the seeds are mature. They have hard outer skins, very solid flesh and the seed area is hollow except for seeds and fibers. They can be stored at room temperature even for months (though edibility may decline). Botanically they may be C. maxima (South American), C.moschata, C.mixta (Cushaws (North America)) or C.pepo (Mexico). |
Gourds
Gourds originate from India, Asia and Africa. Many dry out
when mature leaving a hard durable shell, hollow and with seeds rattling
around inside. They are often used decoratively and for containers, but some
are harvested when immature and eaten, particularly Luffas (which produce
the familiar Loofa bath sponge when mature) and Bottle Gourds. These are
particularly nice for cooking because the flesh holds shape rather than mush
down like squash.
The big container gourds the American Southwest is famous for are actually Old World (Cucurbit Lagenaria) gourds brought by the Spanish (there is a possibility some crossed the Atlantic to South America before the Spanish). Again, Thanksgiving decorative "gourds" are actually dried New World C. pepo squash, and Calabash "gourds" aren't gourds either, they're the fruit of a tree related to begonias.
Melons
Melons originated in Africa and Western Asia and are
generally eaten mature when the flesh becomes sweet. The rind is tough but
not hard and the flesh is always watery. Most are eaten raw but some are cooked,
particularly in soup. Most have thick walls and a hollow center containing
seeds, but others (Watermelon) are solid and uniform all the way through.
Most varieties will store at room temperature maybe a week and not much
longer refrigerated but some will last a few months.
Links
- C1 - Cucurbit Botanical Info. - Cucurbit.org
- C2 - Cucurbit Names - University of Melbourne
- C3 - Indian Gourds - Seeds of India
- C4 - Gourds - Wayne's Word
- C5 - Pumpkins - University of Illinois
- C6 - Cucumbers, Melons and Watermelons - Cambridge World History of Food