Cucuzza

A gahgootzuh? A what? That was my response when Byron asked me if I had ever heard of a gahgootzuh squash. My Mother in law wasn't as un-informed as myself and knew immediately, "Oh yeah! I know what a gahgootzuh is. The Italians on my street loved them!" After Googling "Italian squash" I came up with the correct spelling of this Italian favorite. It's CUCUZZA. No wonder Byron couldn't find anything on the net about it.

A friend of his at works grows them every year and saves the seeds year to year. Of course I just had to have some. So the nice man at Byron's work sent me some....actually a lot! Here it is a big ol dried up cucuzza squash.

The top is broken off and slid back into the thick dried skin. (By the way I painted my coffee table myself free handed all by my lonesome.)
Hmmmmm.....shake, shake, shake....

There they are some cucuzza seeds! I've been told you pick them when they are still young and are around two feet long. The dried squash makes a great little dried gourd too. So this year it's Gahgootzahs for me!

If you want to know more about cucuzzas here is a link to the "World's largest cucuzza plantation". Which just so happens to be in Ruston Louisiana.