Are pumpkins and gourds the same thing?

Are pumpkins and gourds the same thing?

Pumpkins, squash and gourds are members of the enormously diverse Cucurbitaceae family, which contains more than 100 genera and over 700 species. They have been providing mankind with food and utilitarian objects since before recorded history. Various members of the genus Cucurbita are known as squash or gourds.

How can you tell the difference between gourds and squash?

Squash are valued for their culinary use. Summer squash are added to stir-fries, casseroles and soups, while winter squash are steamed or roasted to soften their hard flesh. Gourds are not edible. Instead, cucurbita gourds are used in fall decorations.

Is a pumpkin a fruit or a gourd?

Gourd is occasionally used to describe crop plants in the family Cucurbitaceae, like pumpkins, cucumbers, squash, luffa, and melons. More specifically, gourd refers to the fruits of plants in the two Cucurbitaceae genera Lagenaria and Cucurbita, or also to their hollow, dried-out shell.

Can you eat a gourd?

Edible Gourds While the fully ripened luffa gourd is inedible, young luffa can be eaten. … Another type of edible gourd is the bottle gourd, also known as calabash. The bottle gourd is considered a hardshell gourd, but the flesh is edible. Bottle gourds are green and often resemble either a fat cucumber or an eggplant.