Product Summary (Registration No.143)

Registration No.143 備前黒皮かぼちゃ

Registered name (Transcription) : 備前黒皮かぼちゃ(Bizen Kurokawa Squash、Bizen Kurokawa Kabocha)
Reference information : Bizen Kurokawa Squash

Category of product

Class 1 : Agricultural product（Squash）

Production Area

Setouchi City, Okayama Prefecture

Registered Group

Bizen Kurokawa Kabocha Shinko Kyogikai (Bizen Kurokawa Squash Promotion Association)

Characteristics

It has dark green and deep-grooved rind and slightly more bumps than other dark rind squashes. The rind and flesh, low in hardness and high water content, easily maintain the shape when cooked and have a smooth texture. Because of the tradition and rarity of being a native Japanese squash, which does not exist in other areas, the squash is traded at a high price and is highly recognized by consumers. The producing area is a hilly region with many slopes that descend to the sea, so it has good drainage and is suitable for growing squashes. Amid the production of seiyo kabocha (Cucurbita maxima) flourished, the Japanese pumpkin varieties established in the early Showa period have been preserved, and the seeds have been managed, protected, and cultivated.

Link with the Production Area

The producing area is a hilly region with many slopes that descend to the sea, so it has good drainage and is suitable for growing squashes. Amid the production of seiyo kabocha (Cucurbita maxima) flourished, the Japanese pumpkin varieties established in the early Showa period have been preserved, and the seeds have been managed, protected, and cultivated. In Ushimado, Setouchi City, Nankin Zoni using the squash as a substitute for rice and wheat was made, and is still prepared as the local food of Okayama Prefecture.