This article is about the fruit. For the 1982 book, see Zucchini (book).

Zucchini (US, Australian, and Canadian English) or courgette (New Zealand and British English) is a small summer marrow or squash, also commonly called Italian squash. Its Latin name is Cucurbita pepo. It can either be yellow or green and generally has a similar shape to a ridged cucumber, though a few cultivars are available that produce round or bottle-shaped fruit. Unlike the cucumber it is usually served cooked, often steamed or grilled. Its flower can be eaten fried or stuffed. Zucchini is commonly thought of as a vegetable, and in layman's parlance, of course, this is more useful; however, by strict definition, the zucchini is a fruit, being the swollen ovary of the zucchini flower. Zucchini are traditionally picked when very immature, seldom over 8in/20cm in length. Mature zucchini can be as much as three feet long, but are often fibrous and not appetizing to eat.

Zucchini is one of the easiest vegetables to cultivate in a temperate climate. As such, zucchini has a reputation among home gardeners for overwhelming production, and a common type of joke among home growers revolves around creative ways of giving away unwanted zucchini to people who already have been given more than they can use.

In 2005, a poll of 2,000 people revealed the courgette to be Britain's 10th favourite culinary vegetable. In Mexico, the flower (known as Flor de Calabaza) is preferred over the fruit, and is often cooked in soups or used as a filling for quesadillas.

Closely related, to the point where some seed catalogs do not make a distinction, are Lebanese summer squash or kusa, which closely resemble zucchini but often have a lighter green or even white color.

The zucchini flower

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The zucchini flower is a golden blossom on the end of baby zucchini, being a "different cut" of the zucchini plant.

Firm and fresh blossoms that are only slightly open are cooked to be eaten, with stems and pistils removed. There are a variety of recipes and the flowers may be stuffed, sautéed, baked, or even used in a soup.

History and etymology

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Zucchini, like all summer squash, is native to the Americas and was introduced to Europe during the time of European colonization of the Americas. In Europe, the plant acquired its current names. Courgette comes from the French name of the vegetable, with the same spelling. It is a diminutive of courge, meaning ‘marrow’. Zucchini is the plural of zucchino (IPA: /tsuk'kino/), the Italian for courgette (alongside the more common zucchina), in turn a diminutive of zucca, ‘marrow’. American familiarity with the plant (and the nickname Italian squash) came about when an improved version of zucchini was re-introduced into the United States by Italian immigrants in the 1920s.

Nutrition

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The zucchini fruit is low in calories (approximately 15 food calories per 100 g fresh zucchini) but contains useful amounts of folate (24 mcg/100 g), potassium (280 mg/100 g) and vitamin A (384 IU mcg/100 g).

External links

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• Courgettes, Gourds & AuberginesA history from a Spanish perspective

References

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• ITIS 22365 2002-11-06
  
• Hortus Third

Squashes and pumpkins | Cucurbitaceae

Carbassó | Zucchini | Cucurbita pepo | Courgette | ズッキーニ | Zucchina | Courgette | Cukinia | Abobrinha | Squash (frukt)