OK, so it’s autumn, and Halloween is approaching, which means one thing in the vegetable world. Pumpkins baby.
Now, I love a lot of things about the English – pints, bangers and mash, Sunday roast – and I have allowed my speech to become Anglofied almost beyond repair, much to the despair of my Australian parents. I say duvet instead of doona, sofa instead of couch, and trousers instead of pants, yog-hurt instead of yo-ghurt, pharmacy instead of chemist, and even hoover instead of vaccum.
And as far as veg goes, I’ll roll with corgette, aubergine and even peppers. But you know what. I draw the line at butternut squash. It’s a f*&^ing pumpkin! Sure, maybe it’s a butternut pumpkin, but it’s still a pumpkin.
Let’s look at the facts here people. They’re both orange. They both have tough outsides, and soft orange insides, with seeds. See exhibit a) and b) below.
Exhibit A
Exhibit B
And besides, a squash is something else entirely! It looks like this!
This is a Squash. Fact.
And not only do the English call pumpkins squash, it is also their word for cordial!
I mean, geez, is it just a word the English use for anything they can’t think of a name for?
“Hey, there’s this thing that’s a bit like a pumpkin, but it’s a funny shape. What shall I call it?” … Squash!
“I’ve got this sugary fruit flavoured syrup that I add water to. What shall I call it?” … Squash!
“Ok, so instead of playing tennis, let’s hit a ball around a room with tiny little rackets. Ok, cool. What shall we call it?” … Squash?
And so, in conclusion, I will continue to call all types of pumpkin (including the butternut) just that – pumpkin. Consider yourselves told!
