I grew up in Maine eating buttercup squash as much or more than any other, which I now know is rare outside of the New England states of the northeastern US. Buttercup is a favorite up there but lesser-known elsewhere. Buttercup squash is shaped like a globe that got flattened on the top and bottom. It’s dark green with faint vertical stripes, and the bottom (blossom) end sometimes has a pale green button or turban on that side. There’s another closely related type called turban squash that really shows off this button on the blossom end, sticking it out as a big decorative bump. In recent years, Turban squash has become more prevalent in stores, where you can find it either amid a mix of decorative many-shaped and colored pumpkins or in the array of fall squash for eating.
Kabocha squash is closely related to buttercup and distinctly Asian, in fact its name (南瓜) is just the word for squash in Japanese. Kabocha squashes are also dark green and similar in shape but lack the dark bottom.
How to Cook Kabocha Squash and Buttercup Squash
The texture of C. maxima squashes like kabocha, and buttercup to a lesser degree, is quite different from the other squashes. It is dense, concentrated flesh that, if baked, can become so dry that it’s crumbly, with an intensely delicious flavor. Because of this dryness, kabocha squashes thrive in soups and stews–they hold their shape rather than degrading into mush. Buttercup is good this way also, but is a little less dry and can be great halved and baked using my master recipe.
Gang Dang Fak Tong, or red pumpkin curry, is a wonderful thing to order when you can find it on a Thai menu, or to cook at home. The “pumpkin” involved is almost always actually kabocha squash. If you order vegetable tempura at a Japanese restaurant, you’re likely eating kabocha pieces, skin on, sliced thin, and deep fried with a light tempura batter.