Squash, along with beans, corn, and chiles, was one of the basic elements in the pre-Hispanic diet. In Mexico many kinds of squashes are grown, some never seen in the United States. Most belong to the species Cucurbita pepo. Some are eaten when tender and young, like zucchini and yellow summer squash (calabacitas), others when fully mature, like pumpkins (calabazas). We also preserve squash by peeling it into long ribbons and drying it to make chewy strips called bichicoris. Squash blossoms (flores de calabaza) are one of the delicacies of Mexican cuisine. Some of their most frequent uses are in caldo de flor de calabaza (squash blossom soup), as a filling for stuffed corn tortilla specialties like quesadillas, or as cheese-stuffed blossom fritters, coated with egg batter and fried to be served in a good tomato sauce such as Caldillo de Tomate. Though squash blossoms can be purchased in season in some large metropolitan areas, their price is prohibitive. People with vegetable gardens or gardener friends can add the blossoms to soups or cook them as they would Calabacitas con Queso.
