No Peeling Needed: This Small Squash with a Chestnut Flavor is Perfect for Stuffing!

Did you know there are over 800 varieties of squash, nearly 500 of which are edible? From a botanical standpoint, all belong to the genus Cucurbita, which is further divided into several major species. C. pepo includes zucchini, scallop squash, pumpkin, and spaghetti squash, which gets its name from its flesh that separates into long strands. C. maxima encompasses the large winter squashes with sweet flesh, including red kuri squash, turban squash, and Blue Hungarian. C. moschata includes all the musky-flavored squashes, notably butternut squash.

While they vary in appearance, color, and flavor, our cucurbits share one common feature: tough skin. Although theoretically edible, its toughness often requires removal before cooking, unless it’s blended into soup or puree. However, a few rare specimens with thinner skins manage to bypass the vegetable peeler. This includes the red kuri squash… and also a miniature squash that is gaining popularity in America and is slowly appearing in our markets.

Better known in the United States as Sweet Dumpling, the sweet dumpling squash stands out with its unique appearance. Plump and ribbed, it features a beautiful cream-colored skin speckled with dark green. Although a bit tough to slice, it is enjoyed whole, from skin to flesh to seeds (which, once roasted, can enhance salads and mueslis).

Flavor-wise, its taste is mildly sweet, somewhere between a sweet potato, chestnut, and hazelnut. Like its relatives, it can be made into a mash, incorporated into gratins, quiches, or soups, roasted in the oven with a drizzle of olive oil and/or honey, and is easily used in desserts (pies, cakes, muffins, sorbets…). Its small size also makes it perfect for hollowing out and stuffing with meat or grains, or using as a mini soup tureen by turning the scooped-out flesh into a creamy soup. Available from September to January, now is the perfect time to try it if you happen to come across one!