What is Kabocha (Japanese Pumpkin)?

Kabocha can be harvested twice a year, in the spring and fall, but the latter is its peak season. Harvested kabocha can be stored for a period of over a month to enhance its sweetness. Those harvested during the peak season undoubtedly taste better.

Contents:

• A Flavor of the Earth
• Would you like some delicious Kabocha?
• How to cook Kabocha (Japanese pumpkin recipes)

A Flavor of the Earth

Did you know there was once a custom in Japan based on the saying that “eating kabocha with shiruko (sweet soup made from azuki beans) on the winter solstice will prevent common colds?” Not many people would know about such a thing these days. Around the winter solstice – the time of the longest night of the year – Japanese people used to eat kabocha, which has high nutritional value and can be stored for lengthy periods, in combination with azuki beans. They wanted to maximize their intake of vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber in order to strengthen the mucous membranes and skin resistance, and thus prevent colds during the winter. It was wisdom developed over generations of Japanese people.

Kabocha originated on the American continental mass. Christopher Columbus found it and took it back to Europe along with tobacco, potatoes and tomatoes. After that, the vegetable traveled around the globe and was brought to Japan from Cambodia on Portuguese ships in 1541, during the Azuchi-Momoyama period. Subsequently it became known as kabocha. That type of kabocha was the one we now call Nihon kabocha. It has a knobby-looking skin and is a variety to which the Japanese people are well accustomed. Today, many of the kabocha in the market are of the type called Kuri kabocha, which was created based on the Seiyo kabocha (buttercup squash) brought from America to Japan during the late Edo period. It’s popular for its strong yet sweet flavor and moist, fluffy texture, which is like chestnuts. It’s found in the market under such brand names as “Miyako,” “Ebisu,” ‘Kurokawa,” “Akazukin,” etc. The
kabocha we eat in the U.S. is this same Kuri kabocha, which was originally cultivated with seeds brought back from Japan. Blessed with the climate of its originating country, this kabocha is wonderfully delicious.

When kabocha is just harvested, it is still growing. So, unlike other vegetables and fruits, freshness isn’t as important. It should be fully matured first, in order to become flavorful. First, kabocha is ripened in a warm place (77°F for 13 days, during which some of the starch converts to carbohydrate. Then it’s transferred to a cool place (50°F and stored for about a month in order to increase its carbohydrate content. In this way the just-harvested, dry, bland-tasting kabocha is transformed into smooth, sweet kabocha. Fully ripened, succulent kabocha has a reddish-yellow flesh and a hard skin with a dry, corky stem, and is heavier than it looks. It reaches the peak of ripeness about one-and-ahalf to three months after it’s harvested.

Kabocha, a deep-yellow vegetable, is a typical example of health food products. It contains a balanced combination of dietary fiber, protein, beta-carotene, vitamins A, B 1, B2 and C, calcium, kalium and iron. When beta-carotene is digested, a sufficient amount of it becomes vitamin Al, which is effective against blood and heart diseases as well as other modem diseases. Carotene and kalium help increase the secretion of insulin from the pancreas, which in turn helps control diabetes. Carotene and vitamin C have antioxidant properties, which eliminate radical oxygen, thus preventing the development of cancer cells. Kabocha’s abundant dietary fiber stabilizes the digestive system, preventing constipation and all kinds of blood diseases. It can also be of benefit in dieting and weight loss. Moreover, kabocha seeds contain large quantities of zinc, which enhances taste function and sperm production. Kabocha is loaded with plant nutrients, so it’s even referred to as a natural remedy. Now, kabocha is used not just in various dishes but also as an excellent cake ingredient. A kabocha boom is quietly taking place.

As with the fact that there are all kinds of nutrients in kabocha, there are all kinds of dishes that make use of kabocha. Any recipe calling for kabocha will be delicious, such as kabocha rice, daigaku kabocha (candied kabocha), kabocha korokke (croquette), kabocha tempura, simmered kabocha, kabocha soup, kabocha salad, kabocha pickles, kabocha karinto (sweet deep-fried kabocha), kabocha pie, and kabocha gnocchi. In famous cake shops throughout Japan, kabocha Mont Blanc, kabocha pudding and kabocha ice cream are very popular.

It’s truly a gift from Mother Earth. When you look at the price, it may be “only a kabocha.” However, if you look at its deliciousness and nutritional value, you may want to say, “Hurray for kabocha!”

Would you like some delicious Kabocha?

In America, kabocha decorations are an indispensable part of harvest festivals and Halloween events. Kabocha of all sizes are used to make Halloween decorations; people scrape out the inner flesh to carve out various jack-o-lantem faces, which are illuminated from within by a candle or electric bulb to add to the scary effects of the Halloween atmosphere. Kabocha farmers in America grow enormous ones just for this day. However, unlike the ones we eat in Japan, these types of kabocha aren’t the tastiest since they aren’t grown specifically for consumption.

In Japan, Hokkaido produces by far the highest yield of kabocha and come in many varieties, such as “Kuri Kabocha,” “Miyako Kabocha” and “Bocchan Kabocha.” Because kabocha ripen during storage, you can store them for a while and enjoy them even more during the winter. It’s no wonder that many people don’t know when the season for kabocha is, since they are available all year long.

Nijiya Market makes a daily effort to provide delicious kabocha to our U.S. customers throughout the year. Among many varieties, we highly recommend “Ajihei Kabocha,” a product of Mexico.

The winter kabocha is in season from the end of October through March, and the spring kabocha is in season from May to June. “Ajihei Kabocha” is shipped directly from the central high plains of Mexico, traveling through our own shipping route. Those harvested in fall, particularly, have a fluffy texture and an incredibly sweet flavor.

In fact, most of the kabocha sold as “Toji Kabocha (winter-solstice kabocha)” in Japan is produced in Mexico, where kabocha originated. Mexico provides the optimal climate for kabocha farming, thanks to its widely fluctuating temperatures and dry air.

Try “Nijiya’s Kabocha” during the period of late fall through winter.

How to cook Kabocha (Japanese pumpkin recipes)

Gochiso Magazine, Nijiya Market