What is "turban squash"

1. n. squash plants bearing hard-shelled fruit shaped somewhat like a turban with a rounded central portion protruding from the end opposite the stem [syn: Cucurbita maxima turbaniformis]

2. large squash shaped somewhat like a turban usually with a rounded central portion protruding from the blossom end

Turban squash, also known as "Turk's turban" or "French turban" ("Giraumon" in French), is a type of squash most often used as a winter squash. It is an heirloom, predating 1820. A cultivar of Cucurbita maxima, it is closely related to the buttercup squash. It is typically 6 pounds when mature. Colors vary, but are often mottled in shades of orange, green, and white. The squash is used as both a vegetable and as an ornamental gourd. Taste is similar to other C. maxima cultivars, though "not as vibrant," "reminiscent to hazelnut," and "coarse, watery and insipid." Known in the nineteenth century as "the most beautiful in color, and the most worthless in quality, of all the varieties of squash;" selective breeding since then may have improved the flavor.