Pumpkins and squash are the edible fruits of four of the five cultivated species of the genus Cucurbita. Although the terms ‘pumpkin’ and ‘squash’ are often used interchangeably, the former is derived from the Latin word pepo and implies a large, round fruit, whereas the latter is derived from the native North American word asq, plural asquash, for a fruit eaten raw or immature. References to pumpkins date back many centuries. The name pumpkin originated from the Greek word for "large melon" which is "pepon." "Pepon" was nasalized by the French into "pompon." The English changed "pompon" to "Pumpion." Shakespeare referred to the "pumpion" in his Merry Wives of Windsor. American colonists changed "pumpion" into "pumpkin." The "pumpkin" is referred to in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater and Cinderella. Pumpkin and squash (Cucurbita L. spp.), collectively, are a major vegetable crop and are grown in almost all regions, from cool temperate to tropical. Generally, the edible Cucurbita fruit that are round or nearly round are referred to as pumpkins and those that are nonround are referred to as squash. Although Cucurbita plants and fruit are grown for various reasons, most often they are grown for human consumption of their entire young fruit or mature fruit flesh. The genus Cucurbita incorporating pumpkin, squashes or vegetable marrows is the most economically valuable genus of this family with 27 species, five of which (C. moschata, C. pepo, C. maxima, C. mixta, C. ficifolia) are cultivated all over the tropical and sub-tropical world. The edible portion of the fruit, botanically called ‘pepo’, is a pericarp with a very little portion of the mesocarp. Both mature and immature stages of the fruits are used as vegetable. The flesh is delicious when stewed, boiled or baked. The average nutritive value of pumpkin (2.68) is higher than brinjal (2.41), tomato (2.09) and cucumber (1.69) mainly because of high stored carbohydrate (mainly glucose) and carotenoids (74% β - carotene) along with a moderate quantity of ascorbic, nicotinic, pantothenic and folic acids and different minerals. Fully matured fruits, apart from utilization as a cooked vegetable can be used in preparing sweets, candy or fermented into beverages. Delicate sweet items like “halwa”, other sweets and jams are prepared from the meshed flesh of fully matured fruit. Pulp is also mixed with tomato in the preparation of sauce and ketchup. In this review article origin, distribution, taxonomy, botanical description, genetics, genetic diversity, and breeding of pumpkins (Cucurbita spp.) are discussed.
