The Biggest Mistakes Everyone Makes When Cooking Spaghetti Squash - Tasting Table

If you finish cooking your spaghetti squash and it turns out extremely bitter, toss it in the garbage before eating any more. Serving it may cause you and your guests to get food poisoning! According to Simplemost, winter squash belong to the flowering gourd family cucurbitaceae, which also includes summer squash, zucchini, melons, and cucumbers. While it's very rare, the fruits in this family contain a toxic compound called cucurbitacin E (yes, squash is a fruit, not a vegetable). The compound is usually present in small enough quantities that it's not harmful to humans, but there are some factors, like cross-pollination, that can cause it to increase.

A few bites are enough to make you very sick, so stop eating immediately if the spaghetti squash is unpleasantly bitter. Symptoms of toxic squash syndrome include dizziness, stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea, or vomiting. It may also lead to hair loss several weeks after being poisoned.