Butternut squash

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Butternut squash

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Cucurbitales
Family:	Cucurbitaceae
Genus:	Cucurbita
Species:	C. moschata

Binomial name

Cucurbita moschata
(Duchesne ex Lam.) Duchesne ex Poir.

Butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata), also known in Australia as Butternut pumpkin^[1], is a type of winter squash. It has a sweet, nutty taste that is similar to pumpkin or sweet potato. It has yellow skin and orange fleshy pulp. When ripe, it turns increasingly deep orange, and becomes sweeter and richer. It grows on a vine. The most popular variety, the Waltham Butternut, originated in Stow, Massachusetts, on what is now the Butternut Farm Golf Club.^[2]

1 Uses
2 Origin
3 External links
4 Footnotes

[edit] Uses

Butternut squash is a vegetable that can be roasted and toasted and also be puréed or mashed into soups, casseroles, breads, and muffins.

In Australia it is regarded as a pumpkin, and used interchangeably with other types of pumpkin.

A common vegetable in South Africa, it makes a very tasty soup and can be cooked on a barbecue (known as a braai in South Africa) wrapped in foil with spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon.

It is a good source of fiber, vitamin C, manganese, magnesium, and potassium. It is also an excellent source of vitamin A.

Butternut Squash, raw
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy 40 kcal 190 kJ

Carbohydrates	11.69 g
- Sugars 2.20 g
- Dietary fiber 2.0 g
Fat	.10 g
Protein	1.0 g
Vitamin A equiv. 532 μg	59%
- β-carotene 4226 μg	39%
Thiamin (Vit. B1) .10 mg	8%
Riboflavin (Vit. B2) .02 mg	1%
Niacin (Vit. B3) 1.20 mg	8%
Pantothenic acid (B5) .40 mg	8%
Vitamin B6 .154 mg	12%
Folate (Vit. B9) 27 μg	7%
Vitamin C 21.0 mg	35%
Calcium 48 mg	5%
Iron .70 mg	6%
Magnesium 34 mg	9%
Phosphorus 33 mg	5%
Potassium 352 mg	7%
Zinc .15 mg	1%

Percentages are relative to US
recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient database

[edit] Origin

The butternut and related species of squash originate from around Mexico - separate from pumpkins or "winter squash", which originate in South America.^[1]