With cooler weather around the corner, our thoughts turn away from cold noodles and salads to autumn comfort foods like nimono, simmered dishes in a broth, usually a classic seaweed and dried fish-based dashi.
One of the most comforting nimono is simmered kabocha squash, a winter squash that is high in sugar, low in moisture and always delicious in savory or sweet recipes. Although simmered kabocha seems so quintessentially Japanese, like so many other foods, its history in this country doesn't go as far back as you might think.
Squash and other members of the gourd family (cucurbitaceae) originated in the Americas and were brought to Europe and other lands by 16th-century explorers.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.