Squashes are very popular in the fall and winter. But some of these vegetables are poisonous and can be eaten by mistake.
In soup, in a gratin, in the oven… Squash is very popular in autumn and winter. There are many types, more or less known. Courgettes, pumpkins, pumpkins, butternut… These vegetables are on the rise and sometimes have very different shapes and colors. But beware, some are poisonous. The National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (handles) issued a warning against what are sometimes called “bitter gourds”.
Some vegetables in this family contain cucurbitacins. These toxic, irritating and bitter substances can cause, if ingested, digestive pain, nausea, vomiting, sometimes bloody diarrhea. This can lead to severe dehydration requiring hospitalization.
Decorations or hybridizations
Among the products concerned, we find the gourds, a family of round gourds of various colors. They are sometimes found in the fruit and vegetable section of the supermarket, but as an element of decoration. This can sometimes lead to confusion. But the private vegetable gardens are also to be monitored. Indeed, it happens that wild hybridizations affect these vegetables when poisonous gourds grow nearby. This is all the more dangerous as the non-edible squashes that result from these hybridizations have exactly the same appearance as the edible squashes.
Cooking does not eliminate toxic substances. On the other hand, we can identify dangerous vegetables thanks to their very bitter taste. When this is the case, spit out the vegetable and do not hesitate to throw it away. To avoid hybridization in the vegetable garden, it is better to buy every year new seeds rather than salvaging seeds from the previous harvest.