Talk:Squash (fruit)

Several of the species in the taxo box are gourds, not squashes. Should we stop redirecting Cucurbita here so we can talk about both in that article? Usual usage is that squashes are the ones you eat and gourd are the ones you don't. Are these listed species edible gourds that we are listing as functional "squashes"? Rmhermen 13:00, Oct 16, 2003 (UTC)

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Good point. I don't see why the taxonomic table could not be repeated on the gourd page for the appropriate species, with cross references on both pages. I've not worked with tables, so I'm a little reluctant to tackle it, though I suppose it's just a matter of copy, paste and delete the inappropriate ones. Am I right? Pollinator 16:05, 16 Oct 2003 (UTC)

Yes, cut and paste but this table gets more complicated since gourds are not only several species but apparently several genuses. Rmhermen 16:36, Oct 16, 2003 (UTC)

In the back of my mind, I was thinking that the night blooming gourds were a different genus. I shoulda looked it up. If you don't do it, I'll try, but I can't right now; gotta leave for an appointment... Pollinator 17:14, 16 Oct 2003 (UTC)

Vegetable

Why is squash categorized as "vegetable"? Isn't it a fruit? --Timc 01:41, 27 Jun 2004 (UTC)

Botanically speaking, yes. In the culinary arts, no. Take your pick. Pollinator 04:14, Jun 27, 2004 (UTC)

Bringing up this subject again: "Fruit" is a botanical term, but can also be used as a culinary term. "Vegetable" is entirely a culinary term, with no botanical meaning. I see little justification in this article having been moved to "Squash (fruit)". It is not just the fruit that is used for culinary purposes, but tendrils, flowers and seeds as well. "Squash (vegetable)" was ok IMO, but if people don't like that, "Squash (plant)" would probably be best. I propose to move it there unless there is serious objection. -- WormRunner | Talk 21:23, 30 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Pictures

I would like to see pics of different types of squash, as I have one that I have no clue about. It looks like an elongated football and is a washed out orange in color. Can someone tell me what this squash is? Also what might be the best way to prepare!! Thanks

Squash (fruit) → Squash

Squash is primarily used for the vegetable/fruit. While there are other uses of the term (for Squash (sport) and Squash (drink)) these are very much lesser uses and are referred to on Squash (disambiguation). I cannot make the move myself because Squash (disambiguation) was at Squash before I moved it. -- WormRunner | Talk 00:19, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC)

• Support WormRunner's reasoning is simply good sense. Furthermore, the name is confusing. Botanically it is, or course, a fruit, but most people think of it in terms of vegetable. Pollinator 03:23, Jan 13, 2005 (UTC)
• Oppose. Squash (drink) is British I think; but Squash (sport) seems to me at least as prominent a usage as the fruit. (Though I may be biased; I've played squash once, but never eaten it. ;) Rd232 00:27, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC)
• Squash (sport) is barely known outside the Commonwealth; suggest primary-topic disambiguation at User:Squash. (Only kidding. I must nonetheless oppose.) ADH (t&m) 00:33, Jan 13, 2005 (UTC)
• Oppose. Squash (sport) is probably better known than Squash (fruit) -- Curps 01:04, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC)
  • In fairness, this is probably a Pondian thing. We eat plenty of squash (pumpkin and such), but never play the game. The reverse is probably true in the U.K. ADH (t&m) 01:07, Jan 13, 2005 (UTC)
• Oppose - none of the options is overly dominant enough to deserve the primary name. -- Netoholic @ 03:23, 2005 Jan 13 (UTC)
  • Oppose: Agree. Cburnett 04:07, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC)
• Oppose with Squash (vegetable) redirecting to Squash (fruit) to sate those that find it confusing (it already exists). The fruit is only the third thing I think of in relation to the word. violet/riga (t) 09:54, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC)
• Oppose - Solipsist 11:09, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC)
• Oppose - Philip Baird Shearer 19:24, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC)
• Oppose, because a sport is more likely to get a bigger article than the fruit SECProto 15:20, Jan 14, 2005 (UTC)
• Support Not everything is about size. Squash is eaten by many more people than play it. —Michael Z. 16:38, 2005 Jan 14 (UTC)
• Strongly Oppose. Sorry but the fruit/veg thing is very far down the list of things I might be thinking about when I hear the word squash. In any case I would have called it a vegetable rather then a fruit if anybody had cared to ask me what kind of thing it was. But now I know better. Jooler 17:20, 14 Jan 2005 (UTC)
• Oppose'. It is a pondian thing, true (one only has to look at the distinctly unsportsmanlike purpose to which the Stagg Field squash court at the University of Chicago was put) but using Google I found it very, very hard to avoid getting deluged by Squash the sport. Other Google hits seem to be comparatively rare. I think this is a good case for Primary Topic disambiguation. But the primary topic is not fruit. --Tony Sidaway|Talk 23:34, 14 Jan 2005 (UTC)

The preponderance of squash racket sports mentioned on the net is due to the high marketability and profit margins of equipment incorporating space-age materials ("Visa or Mastercard?"). I assure you there are many more people eating curried squash the world than there are fitness club members. —Michael Z. 23:53, 2005 Jan 15 (UTC)

Not to mention the sports pages, and simply that the game is a far more interesting discussion topic than zucchini. The Google test isn't a good metric, in this case, and I would oppose a push for primary-topic disambiguation under any of the various meanings. ADH (t&m) 00:06, Jan 16, 2005 (UTC)

I agree that I may well have eaten what you call 'curried squash'. But one thing I can be sure of is that I do not call it 'curried squash'. That use of the word squash is almost unknown in my country. --Tony Sidaway|Talk 14:16, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Oppose. Squash the fruit is almost unheard of on the Eastern side of the Atlantic. DJ Clayworth 03:17, 19 Jan 2005 (UTC)