Featured Food for Early Spring Move over, pumpkin—there’s a new winter squash in town. Kabo- cha squash is a Japanese staple ingredient that’s prized for its sweet taste, velvety texture, slew of health benefits, and versatility. If you love pumpkin and sweet potato, then kabocha will quickly become a favorite staple of your diet.
Earth Story Nutritional Benefits Fun Facts Kabocha is originally from the Kabocha squash is perfect for Legend has it that Portuguese Americas and was modified roasting, stuffing, pureeing, explorers introduced the Kabo- through selection with time soups, and more. On top of its cha squash to Japan in the mid to create the current kabocha delicious flavor, kabocha squash 16th century and the squash type. The Portuguese brought packs impressive health benefits. was mistakenly thought to have many crops they found while Like pumpkin, kabocha’s bright come from Cambodia because colonizing Brazil to Asia, and orange flesh is high in the an- that was the last place the ex- what is now kabocha was intro- ti-oxidant beta-carotene, which plorers had visited. They called duced to Japan by Portuguese translates to vision-protecting the squash “Cambodia abóbora” traders in the mid-16th century Vitamin A. The skin is also an which the Japanese renamed to via Cambodia. While available excellent source of fiber, and us- be Kabocha. Kabocha squash is a year-round, the squash grows ing kabocha squash in any dish staple of Japanese cuisine, en- through the spring and sum- boosts the sweetness without joyed dipped in tempura batter mer months, making kabocha adding extra sugar. and fried, or slow simmered in squash’s true season late sum- hot pots or soups. mer to early fall.
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