Cucurbita

spp.

Squash (E); Calabaza (P); Moe (Cu); Zapallo (P) . Squashes are a common vegetable in the interior. Among the Mayas to the north, squash is eaten in many forms, e.g. the squash is boiled with salt and eaten as a vegetable, the seeds are roasted and ground to form a meal, the seeds are roasted and eaten like nuts, the seeds are mixed with beans and jobo fruits and seasoned with achiote and chile for a dish called kol. Ground squash seeds are mixed with the boiled leaves of Jatropha aconitifolia, chiel, salt, and rum to make a Maya dish. The sap is prescribed by the Maya for burns. Rubbing pumpkin leaves on cattle is said to discourage flies. Leaves are sometimes eaten, those of C. maxima with about 5% protein.