Smaller varieties can be used as table decorations. Buttercup is a variety of turban squash, although it does not look like one. Acorn is one of the most familiar squashes. A favorite way of cooking it is to halve it horizontally, and fill the emptied seed cavity with apple sauce and maple syrup. Like all winter squashes, it is best served with spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
Golden nugget is shaped like a small pumpkin and has a pronounced pumpkin taste.
Inside, the flesh is a brilliant orange. Its taste, when cooked, is mild and pleasant, proving again the old adage about not judging a squash by its warts. Most weigh about half a pound and can be stuffed. Spaghetti squash really can substitute for spaghetti because when cooked, the yellowish flesh separates into long, thin, translucent strings that resemble pasta, but with many fewer calories. Even so, children may ask for more.