Bubango

Crop: Cucurbita pepo L. (Zucchini)

The islands with the greatest historical tradition of cultivating this traditional landrace are Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro. Although it can currently be found in most of the Canary Islands.

There are several historical documents in which the ‘bubango’ appears since the 18th century, so it has been playing a very important role in the local gastronomic culture for a long time ago.

It is an herbaceous plant with indeterminate growth habit, creeping or climbing, with long internodes and well-developed tendrils, more like a pumpkin plant than a zucchini plant. The flowers are unisexual and orange.

Due to the local weather, with mild winters, although it grows faster in summer, it can be cultivated all the year round. With a climatologically benign year, it can be producing on the ground just over twelve months.

The flesh of the fruit is firm, smooth texture, without being fibrous and has a flavour of medium intensity. The fruits are used in human food, being a very common ingredient in the preparation of stews. It has also been used for medicinal purposes. In the south of Tenerife, the infusion of the seeds was used to relieve irritations of the urinary tract and as a diuretic. Its seeds, peeled and dried, have been ingested to eliminate intestinal parasites.

The ‘bubango’ has a great morphological variability. The people who cultivate it distinguish several types with differences in size, shape and colour, which are handled and selected as the same variety.

The fruit is characterized by its smooth skin, with well-marked superficial ribs; seeds of light beige colour and flesh of the white fruit, which in its maturity turns yellow-orange. The shape can vary a lot, from large to round.

The main time for sowing is March, although it can be done all year.

Cultivation System: ND.