Kabocha is a type of WINTER SQUAH, a Japanese variety of the species CUCURBITA MAXIMA. It is also called kabocha squash or Japanese pumpkin.

In Japan, kabocha may refer to either this squash, to the Western pumpkin, or indeed to other squashes.

Kabocha is hard on the outside with knobby-looking skin. It is shaped like a squat pumpkin and has a dull-finished,deep-green skin with some celadon-to-white stripes and an intense yellow-orange color on the inside. In many respects it is like buttercup squash, but without the characteristic protruding "cup" on the blossom (bottom)end. An average kabocha weighs two to three pounds, but a large squash can weigh as much as eight pounds.

Kabocha has an exceptionally sweet flavor, even sweeter than butternut squash. It is similar in texture and flavor to a pumpkin and sweet potato combined. Some kabocha can taste like russet potato or chestnuts.

The rind is edible, although some cooks may peel it to speed up the cooking process or to suit their personal taste preferences. Kabocha is commonly used in side dishes and soups, or as a substitute for potato or other squash varieties. 

When kabocha is just harvested, it is still growing. Therefore, unlike other vegetables and fruits, freshness is not as important. It should be fully matured first, to become flavorful, by first ripening the kabocha in a warm place (77 °F/25 °C) for 13 days to convert some of the starch to sugar. Then the kabocha is transferred to a cool place (50 °F/10 °C) and stored for about a month in order to increase carbohydrate content. In this way the just-harvested, dry, bland-tasting kabocha is transformed into a smooth, sweet kabocha. Fully ripened, succulent kabocha will have reddish-yellow flesh, a hard skin, and a dry, corky stem. It reaches the peak of ripeness about 1.5–3 months after it is harvested.

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