Quashing Confusion

Winter squash can be confusing. In the first place, they’re really fall squash, harvested about now. They’re called winter because their thick, hard shell can keep them fresh until spring.

On top of that, they come in a wide range of shapes, sizes and colors, and each one tastes somewhat different. To make matters more confusing, it seems as if varieties are being introduced every year.

To make matters somewhat simpler, here’s a rundown of some of the leading varieties of winter squash. Note that the flavor of squash tends to vary from sweet to vegetal and the textures from creamy to fibrous. Most squash fall somewhere in this range, with hints of both.

We like the creamier, sweeter squash--butternut, kabocha and carnival, for instance--rather than the fibrous, more vegetal-tasting varieties. But you should make up your own mind.

Acorn: Semi-smooth, rich, semisweet, semi-squashy. A middle-of-the-road squash.

Banana: Frequently sold in pieces, semi-smooth and bland.

Butternut: Semi-fibrous, very sweet and nutty with just a hint of squashiness.

Carnival: Slightly fibrous, complex flavor, rich, sweet and earthy.

Delicata: Very smooth, very vegetal.

Golden Acorn: Semi-smooth, not very sweet, fairly squashy.

Golden Nugget: Very smooth, semisweet, not much squash.

Green-Striped Turban: Very smooth, fairly vegetal.

Kabocha: Fairly smooth, very sweet with a nice squashy edge.

Red Kuri: Semi-fibrous, less sweet and more strongly squashy than most.

Spaghetti: Stringy and fibrous, bland, slightly squashy.

Sugar Pumpkin: Semi-fibrous, very bland with a slight vegetal edge.

Table Queen: Smooth, like an acorn squash.

White Acorn: Semi-fibrous and very vegetal.