"Squash" comes from the Narragansett Native American word askutasquash, Wish means "eaten raw
or uncooked".
Squashes are one of the oldest know crops -10,000 years by some estimates od sites in Mexico. Since squashes are gourds, they most likely served as containers or utensils because of their hard shells. The Seeds and flesh later became an important part of the pre-Columbian indian diet in both south and North America.