Name: Pattypan squash (Cucurbita pepo), also called scallop squash or custard squash — a small, flat, round summer squash with scalloped edges, like a flying saucer, in pale green, yellow or white, with tender, mild, slightly nutty flesh.
Description
Pattypan is one of the oldest cultivated squashes in North America, grown by Native Americans for centuries before European settlement. The name comes from the French pâtisson, a type of small cake or pan, in reference to its shape.
Pattypans are picked young, when 5 to 8 cm across, when the skin is tender and the seeds are small, and become tough and woody if left to grow. They are used like zucchini and other summer squashes, and the whole squash, skin and all, is eaten.
Main nutrition value
Pattypan squash is low in calories, and provides vitamin C, vitamin B6, manganese and fibre, with a high water content.
How best to be consumed
Pattypan is cooked quickly, and the skin is eaten.
- Halve or slice, and sauté, grill or roast until golden and tender.
- Hollow out and stuff the small ones with rice, herbs, cheese or meat, and bake.
- Add to stir-fries, stews, ratatouille and kebabs.
- Pickle small ones whole, as in Eastern European cooking.
- Choose small, firm squash with glossy skin, and store in the fridge.
Overconsumption could cause…
Pattypan squash is safe and healthy in food amounts.
- Toxic squash syndrome from cucurbitacins, natural compounds that make a squash or gourd intensely bitter, and which can cause severe stomach upset, hair loss and even death in rare cases, so always taste a little raw and discard the whole fruit if it is very bitter.
- Soggy texture if overcooked.
- Allergic reactions in rare cases.
- Added fat and salt in fried and stuffed preparations.
Wikipedia — Pattypan squash, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pattypan_squash
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