"Calebasses" was the word, hand-written on the piece of natural stone. I didn't know what it meant but when I loooked beyond to what it was describing it was obviously something akin to squash. When I got home and Google'd it the translation came up as calabash. I'd never heard of it before but, assuming it tastes similar to what I know as a definitive squash, then it probably makes for a good ingredient in vegetarian dishes or soup recipes. I wondered why it might be in a Vendée garden but after a little research found it is popular in African countries including Mauritius where, of course, there is a strong French connection. I even found a French blog with a recipe for calabash and cabbage gratin - "Gratin de calebasse et de chouchou". I already knew that this part of France had some stunning cuisine but finding something I'd never heard of before was more than I had expected!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Anyone For Squash?
"Calebasses" was the word, hand-written on the piece of natural stone. I didn't know what it meant but when I loooked beyond to what it was describing it was obviously something akin to squash. When I got home and Google'd it the translation came up as calabash. I'd never heard of it before but, assuming it tastes similar to what I know as a definitive squash, then it probably makes for a good ingredient in vegetarian dishes or soup recipes. I wondered why it might be in a Vendée garden but after a little research found it is popular in African countries including Mauritius where, of course, there is a strong French connection. I even found a French blog with a recipe for calabash and cabbage gratin - "Gratin de calebasse et de chouchou". I already knew that this part of France had some stunning cuisine but finding something I'd never heard of before was more than I had expected!
