Squash is gourd fruit belonging to the genus Cucurbita . Other edible members of this family include cucumbers, melons, pumpkins and gourds.
Evidence suggests that they are definitely of American origin.
Squash has never been found in a wild state and has been important in primitive agriculture for centuries. The earliest cucurbits probably originating in Central America were considerably smaller. Squash and pumpkin cultivation dates back 9,000 years, judging by scattered remains of seeds and stems found in prehistoric caves in the Tamaulipas mountains of Mexico. Native American gardens offered a number of varieties of squash. The Zunis of the Southwest traditionally ate squash blossoms in soups.