Butternut squash

Cucurbita moschata 'Butternut'
Ripe butternut squash
SpeciesCucurbita moschata
Hybrid parentage'Gooseneck squash' × 'Hubbard squash'
BreederCharles Leggett
Origin1940s in Stow, Massachusetts, United States

Butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata), known in Australia and New Zealand as butternut pumpkin or gramma,[1] is a type of winter squash that grows on a vine. It has a sweet, nutty taste similar to that of a pumpkin. It has tan-yellow skin and orange fleshy pulp with a compartment of seeds in the blossom end. When ripening, the flesh turns increasingly deep orange due to its rich content of beta-carotene, a provitamin A compound.[2]

Although botanically a fruit (specifically, a berry), butternut squash is used culinarily as a vegetable that can be roasted, sautéed, puréed for soups such as squash soup, or mashed to be used in casseroles, breads, muffins, and pies. It is part of the same squash family as ponca, waltham, pumpkin, and calabaza.[3]

Butternut squash, baked
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy167 kJ (40 kcal)
10.5 g
Dietary fiber3.2 g
0.1 g
0.9 g
Vitamins and minerals
VitaminsQuantity
%DV
Vitamin A equiv.
62%
558 μg
42%
4570 μg
Thiamine (B1)
6%
0.07 mg
Riboflavin (B2)
1%
0.017 mg
Niacin (B3)
6%
0.98 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)
7%
0.36 mg
Vitamin B6
7%
0.124 mg
Folate (B9)
5%
19 μg
Vitamin C
17%
15 mg
Vitamin E
9%
1.29 mg
MineralsQuantity
%DV
Calcium
3%
41 mg
Iron
3%
0.6 mg
Magnesium
7%
29 mg
Manganese
7%
0.17 mg
Phosphorus
2%
27 mg
Potassium
9%
284 mg
Zinc
1%
0.13 mg
Other constituentsQuantity
Water87.8 g

Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults,[4] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.[5]
  1. ^ "Commercial production of pumpkins and grammas". Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  2. ^ "Top 5 health benefits of butternut squash". BBC Good Food. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  3. ^ GourmetSleuth. "Butternut Squash". Gourmet Sleuth. Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  4. ^ United States Food and Drug Administration (2024). "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels". FDA. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  5. ^ National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Health and Medicine Division; Food and Nutrition Board; Committee to Review the Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium (2019). Oria, Maria; Harrison, Meghan; Stallings, Virginia A. (eds.). Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. The National Academies Collection: Reports funded by National Institutes of Health. Washington, DC: National Academies Press (US). ISBN 978-0-309-48834-1. PMID 30844154. Archived from the original on 9 May 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.

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