Zucchini

{{More citations needed section|date=January 2021}}

The plant has three names in English, all of them meaning 'small marrow': zucchini (an Italian loanword), usually used in the plural form even when only one zucchino is meant, courgette (a French loanword), and baby marrow (South African English). Zucchini and courgette are doublets, both descending from the Latin {{Langx|la|cucurbita|lit=gourd|label=none}}.

The name zucchini is used in American, Australian, Canadian and New Zealand{{cite journal|last=Vogan|first=Rachel|title=A crop with two names|url=https://www.mitre10.co.nz/gardenclub/article/a-crop-with-two-names|journal=Kiwi Gardener|via=Mitre 10|access-date=May 2, 2021|quote=I call them courgettes, as do growers such as Zealandia, but seed companies in New Zealand list them as zucchini.}} English. It is loaned from Italian, where {{Lang|it|zucchini}} is the plural masculine diminutive of {{Langx|it|zucca|lit=marrow|label=none}} ({{IPA|it|ˈdzukka|lang}}).

In Italian, the masculine {{Lang|it|zucchino}} ({{plural form}}: {{Lang|it|zucchini}}) is attested earlier and hence preferred by the Accademia della Crusca, the Italian language regulator.Accademia della Crusca, [http://www.accademiadellacrusca.it/it/lingua-italiana/consulenza-linguistica/domande-risposte/alcune-varianti-nomi-frutti Alcune varianti di nomi di frutti] The feminine {{Lang|it|zucchina}} ({{plural form}}: {{Lang|it|zucchine}}) is also found, and preferred by the Italian-language encyclopedia Treccani, which considers {{Lang|it|zucchino}} to be a Tuscan dialect word.Istituto dell'Enciclopedia italiana, Enciclopedia Italiana di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti

Zucchini is also used in Canadian French, Danish, German, and Swedish.

The name courgette is used in British, Irish, Malaysian, New Zealand,{{cite web|url=https://www.5aday.co.nz/facts-and-tips/fruit-vegetable-info/courgette/|title=Courgette|work=5+ A Day|access-date=May 2, 2021|quote=In New Zealand we tend to call them courgettes.}} and South African English. It is loaned from French, where {{Lang|fr|courgette}} ({{IPA|fr|kuʁʒɛt|lang}}) is a diminutive of {{Langx|fr|courge|lit=marrow|label=none}}.

Courgette is also used in Dutch.

The name baby marrow is used interchangeably in South Africa with courgette.{{cite web|url=http://www.agrilink.co.za/tabid/62/CategoryID/1/ProductID/12/Default.aspx|title=Baby Marrow|publisher=AgriLink|access-date=September 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514232254/http://www.agrilink.co.za/tabid/62/CategoryID/1/ProductID/12/Default.aspx|archive-date=May 14, 2013|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.tastemag.co.za/Recipe-234/Panfried-chicken-with-baby-marrow-and-porcini.aspx|title=Panfried chicken with baby marrow and porcini|first=Abigail|last=Donnelly|work=Woolworths Taste magazine|access-date=June 25, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313193753/http://www.tastemag.co.za/Recipe-234/Panfried-chicken-with-baby-marrow-and-porcini.aspx|archive-date=March 13, 2012|url-status=dead}}

{{Main article|squash blossom}}

File:Zucchiniflower.jpg

The female flower is a golden blossom on the end of each emergent zucchini. The male flower grows directly on the stem of the zucchini plant in the leaf axils (where leaf petiole meets stem), on a long stalk, and is slightly smaller than the female. Both flowers are edible and are often used to dress a meal or to garnish the cooked fruit.{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}}

Firm and fresh blossoms that are only slightly open are cooked to be eaten, with pistils removed from female flowers, and stamens removed from male flowers. The stems on the flowers can be retained as a way of giving the cook something to hold onto during cooking, rather than injuring the delicate petals, or they can be removed prior to cooking, or prior to serving. There are a variety of recipes in which the flowers may be deep fried as fritters or tempura (after dipping in a light tempura batter), stuffed, sautéed, baked, or used in soups.{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}}

Zucchini, like all squash, has its ancestry in the Americas, specifically Mesoamerica. The varieties of green, cylindrical squash harvested immature and typically called "zucchini" were cultivated in northern Italy, as much as three centuries after the introduction of cucurbits from the Americas. It appears that this occurred in the second half of the 19th century, although the first description of the variety under the name zucchini occurs in a work published in Milan in 1901. Early varieties usually appended the names of nearby cities in their names.{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}}

The first records of zucchini in the United States date to the early 1920s. It was almost certainly taken to America by Italian immigrants and probably was first cultivated in the United States in California. A 1928 report on vegetables grown in New York State treats 'Zucchini' as one among 60 cultivated varieties of C. pepo.{{Cite book |last1=Hedrick |first1=U.P. |last2=Hall |first2=F.H. |last3=Hawthorn |first3=L.R. |last4=Berger |first4=Alwin |date=1928 |contribution=Part 4: The cucurbits |title=The Vegetables of New York, Vol. 1 |volume=v.1–4 |location=Albany |publisher=J.B. Lyon |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/39278584 |name-list-style=amp }}

{{More citations needed section|date=January 2021}}

File:Crema de calabacín - Krista.jpg

File:Grilled zucchini.jpg

File:Zucchini Cake (4804574268).jpg

When used for food, zucchini are usually picked when under {{convert|20|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} in length, when the seeds are still soft and immature.{{Cite web |title=Chosen Bites: Zucchini blossoms |url=https://www.jpost.com/food-index/chosen-bites-zucchini-blossoms |access-date=April 4, 2023 |website=The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com |date=June 16, 2011 |language=en-US}} Mature zucchini can be {{convert|1|m|in|-1|abbr=on}} long or more. These larger ones often have mature seeds and hard skins, requiring peeling and seeding. A zucchini with the flowers attached is a sign of a truly fresh and immature fruit, and it is especially sought after for its sweeter flavor.{{cite web|last=O'Neill|first=Molly|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/15/magazine/food-how-to-stuff-a-wild-zucchini.html?pagewanted=all |work=The New York Times Magazine|title=Food; How to Stuff a Wild Zucchini|date=August 15, 1999|access-date=September 15, 2013}}{{cite journal|title=Preliminary Evaluation of a Yellow Zucchini Squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) Variety for the Fresh Market and for Use as a Frozen Vegetable|url=https://www.bahamas.gov.bs/wps/wcm/connect/7da0ed72-60fe-491d-9b72-60b30d67ee41/Evaluation+of+Yellow+Zucchini+%2811%29.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CONVERT_TO=url&CACHEID=7da0ed72-60fe-491d-9b72-60b30d67ee41|last=Richardson|first=Kenneth VA|journal=Gladstone Road Agricultural Centre Crop Research Report|issue=11|date=November 2012|pages=1–6}}

Zucchini is usually served cooked.{{Cite web |last= |first= |last2= |last3= |first3= |last4= |date=August 25, 2022 |title=What Is Zucchini? |url=https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/what-is-zucchini/ |access-date=April 4, 2023 |website=Taste of Home |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=The Difference Between Cucumber And Zucchini |url=https://www.southernliving.com/food/side-dishes/vegetables/difference-between-zucchini-and-cucumber |access-date=April 4, 2023 |website=Southern Living |language=en}} It can be prepared using a variety of cooking techniques, including steamed, boiled, grilled, stuffed and baked, barbecued, fried, or incorporated in other recipes such as soufflés. Raw grated zucchini can also be combined with flour and spices in a zucchini bread,{{cite web|author=Zucchini Bread Chefs|title=Zucchini Bread Recipes|work=Zucchini Bread Recipe Book|url=http://zucchinibreadrecipes.org/|access-date=October 19, 2011}}{{Cite web |last=Sudakov |first=Monika |date=February 21, 2023 |title=23 Unexpected Ways To Cook With Zucchini |url=https://www.thedailymeal.com/1206273/unexpected-ways-to-cook-with-zucchini/ |access-date=April 4, 2023 |website=The Daily Meal |language=en-US}} similar to banana bread, or incorporated into a cake mix to make zucchini cake, similar to carrot cake. Its flowers can be eaten stuffed and are a delicacy when deep-fat-fried (e.g., tempura).

Zucchini has a delicate flavor and can be found simply cooked with butter or olive oil and herbs, or in more complex dishes.{{cite book|title=Edible Flowers|author=Kathy Brown|publisher=Anness Publishing Ltd|year=2003}} The skin is usually left in place. When frying zucchini, it is recommended to pat down cut sections to make them drier, similarly to what may be done with eggplant, in order to keep the slices' shape while cooking.{{cite web|author=the cooking bar|title=The best way to drain zucchini before cooking|date=August 16, 2021 |url= https://thecookingbar.com/how-to-drain-zucchini-before-cooking/}} Zucchini can also be eaten raw, sliced or shredded, in a cold salad, as well as lightly cooked in hot salads, as in Thai or Vietnamese recipes. Mature (larger-sized) zucchini are well-suited for cooking in breads.{{Cite web |date=September 19, 2012 |title=Kitchen Wit & Wisdom: Help is at hand for all of that zucchini - Vernon Morning Star |url=https://www.vernonmorningstar.com/life/kitchen-wit-wisdom-help-is-at-hand-for-all-of-that-zucchini/ |access-date=April 4, 2023 |website=www.vernonmorningstar.com |language=en-CA}}

Zucchinis can be cut with a spiralizer into noodle-like spirals and used as a low-carbohydrate substitute for pasta or noodles, often referred to as 'zoodles'.{{Cite web|title=Soggy zucchini noodles? You're probably making this common mistake|url=https://www.today.com/food/zoodles-101-how-make-cook-zucchini-noodles-t191607|access-date=May 13, 2021|website=TODAY.com|date=September 14, 2020 |language=en}}

In Australia, a popular dish is a frittata-like dish called zucchini slice.{{Cite news |last=Clark |first=Melissa |author-link=Melissa Clark |date=July 15, 2022 |title=Make the Most of Too Much Summer Squash With the Zucchini Slice |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/15/dining/zucchini-slice-recipe-australia-new-zealand.html |access-date=August 25, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}

In Bulgaria, zucchini may be fried and then served with a dip, made from yogurt, garlic, and dill. Another popular dish is oven-baked zucchini—sliced or grated—covered with a mixture of eggs, yogurt, flour, and dill.

In Egypt, zucchini may be cooked with tomato sauce, garlic, and onions.{{cite web|last=Lucas|first=Brenda|url=http://www.herald-dispatch.com/features/x1840143509/Now-is-peak-season-for-the-low-cal-vitamin-packed-zucchini-squash?i=0|title=Now is peak season for the low-cal vitamin-packed zucchini squash|date=August 21, 2013 |publisher=Herald-Dispatch|access-date=September 15, 2013}}

In France, zucchini is a key ingredient in ratatouille, a stew of summer vegetable-fruits and vegetables prepared in olive oil and cooked for an extended time over low heat. The dish, originating near present-day Nice, is served as a side dish or on its own at lunch with bread. Zucchini may be stuffed with meat or with other fruits such as tomatoes or bell peppers in a dish called courgette farcie (stuffed zucchini).

In Greece, zucchini is usually fried, stewed or boiled with other fruits (often green chili peppers and eggplants). It is served as an hors d'œuvre or as a main dish, especially during fasting seasons. Zucchini is also stuffed with minced meat, rice, and herbs and served with avgolemono sauce. In several parts of Greece, the flowers of the plant are stuffed with white cheese, usually feta or mizithra, or with a mixture of rice, herbs, and occasionally minced meat. They are then deep-fried or baked in the oven with tomato sauce.

In Italy, zucchini is served in a variety of ways: fried, baked, boiled, or deep fried, alone or in combination with other ingredients. At home and in some restaurants, it is possible to eat the flowers, as well, deep-fried, known as fiori di zucca (cf. pumpkin flower fritter).

In the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire, zucchini is often stuffed and called dolma. It is also used in various stews, both with and without meat, including ladera.

In Sephardic Jewish cuisine, medias (from Judeo-Spanish, meaning "halves") is a dish of halved zucchinis stuffed with meat and a mixture of ingredients, and cooked in a sour lemon sauce.{{Cite web |title=Stuffed Zucchini - Recipe |url=https://www.foodish.org/en/recipe/stuffed-zucchini/ |access-date=August 31, 2024 |website=Foodish – by Anu – Museum of the Jewish People |language=en-US}}

In Mexico, the flower (known as flor de calabaza) is often cooked in soups or used as a filling for quesadillas. The fruit is used in stews, soups (i.e. caldo de res, de pollo, or de pescado, mole de olla, etc.) and other preparations. The flower, as well as the fruit, is eaten often throughout Latin America.{{cite news|last1=Ramanathan|first1=Lavanya|title=Squash blossoms offer petal power|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=August 13, 2014}}

File:Mini zucchini slices (29103274117).jpg

In Russia, Ukraine and other CIS countries, zucchini usually is coated in flour or semolina and then fried or baked in vegetable oil, served with sour cream. Another popular recipe is "zucchini caviar", a squash spread made from thermically processed zucchini, carrots, onions and tomato paste, produced either at home or industrially as a vegetable preserve.

In Turkey, zucchini is the main ingredient in the popular dish mücver, or "zucchini pancakes", made from shredded zucchini, flour, and eggs, lightly fried in olive oil and eaten with yogurt. They are also often used in kebabs along with various meats. The flowers are also used in a cold dish, where they are stuffed with a rice mix with various spices and nuts and stewed.

In the United States, fried zucchini was invented in Pittsburgh.{{Cite web |title=Here's the story of fried zucchini -- a dish invented for Pittsburgh |url=https://www.post-gazette.com/life/dining/2018/11/01/Fried-zucchini-pittsburgh-tambellinis-eat-n-park-minutello-s/stories/201810020149 |access-date=August 2, 2021 |website=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |language=en}}

In 2005, a poll of 2,000 people revealed it to be Britain's 10th favorite culinary vegetable.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/may/23/britishidentity.foodanddrink|title=Onions come top for British palates|work=The Guardian|access-date=July 7, 2011|location=London|first=Martin|last=Wainwright|date=May 23, 2005}}

Stuffed zucchini is found in many cuisines. As an example, in Lebanon, zucchini can be used to create Kousa Mahshi, which translates to "stuffed zucchini" in Arabic. The dish is made by coring the squash and then stuffing it with rice and spiced ground beef. Vegetables and other protein substitutes such as lamb may also be used. The contents of the zucchini are cooked by first boiling it and then reducing the heat of the zucchini's pot or container before letting it simmer for an hour. {{Cite web |title=Lebanese Stuffed Zucchini-Kousa Mahshi |url=https://thesaltandsweet.com/lebanese-stuffed-zucchini/ |access-date=December 1, 2024 |website=Salt & Sweet |language=en}} There's also Lebanese Zucchini Stew, or Mnazelah, a stew consisting of zucchini, potatoes, tomatoes, meat, and varied spices.{{Cite web |title=Lebanese Zucchini Stew-Mnazaleh |url=https://thesaltandsweet.com/lebanese-zucchini-stew-mnazaleh/|access-date=December 1, 2024 |website=Salt & Sweet |language=en}} Typical stuffings in the Middle Eastern family of dolma include rice, onions, tomato, and sometimes meat.

File:Zucchini plant, Gurgaon, India.jpg

{{nutritional value | name=Squash, summer, zucchini, includes skin, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt

| water=95.2 g

| kJ=64

| protein=1.14 g

| fat=0.36 g

| carbs=2.69 g

| fiber=1 g

| sugars=1.71

| calcium_mg=18

| iron_mg=0.37

| magnesium_mg=19

| phosphorus_mg=37

| potassium_mg=264

| sodium_mg=3

| zinc_mg=0.33

| manganese_mg=0.173

| vitC_mg=12.9

| thiamin_mg=0.035

| riboflavin_mg=0.024

| niacin_mg=0.51

| pantothenic_mg=0.288

| vitB6_mg=0.08

| folate_ug=28

| vitK_ug=4.2

| vitA_ug = 56

| betacarotene_ug = 670

| note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169292/nutrients Link to USDA database entry]

}}

Zucchini are low in food energy (approximately {{convert|17|kcal|kJ|order=flip|disp=or|abbr=off}} per {{convert|100|g|oz|frac=2|abbr=off|disp=or}} fresh zucchini) and contain good amounts of folate (24 μg/100 g), potassium (261 mg/100 g), provitamin A (200 IU [10 RAE]/100 g) and vitamin C (12.9 mg/100 g) .{{Cite web|url=http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3215?fgcd=&manu=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=35&offset=&sort=&qlookup=zucchini |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150921151515/http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3215?fgcd=&manu=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=35&offset=&sort=&qlookup=zucchini |archive-date=September 21, 2015 |title=Show Foods|date=September 21, 2015}}

Members of the plant family Cucurbitaceae, which includes zucchini / marrows, pumpkins and cucumbers, can contain toxins called cucurbitacins. These are steroids which defend the plants from predators, and have a bitter taste to humans. Cultivated cucurbitaceae are bred for low levels of the toxin and are safe to eat. However, ornamental pumpkins can have high levels of cucurbitacins, and such ornamental plants can cross-fertilize edible cucurbitaceae—any such cross-fertilized seeds used by the gardener for growing food in the following season can therefore potentially produce bitter and toxic fruit. Dry weather or irregular watering can also favor the production of the toxin, which is not destroyed by cooking. Humans with an impaired sense of taste (particularly the elderly) should therefore ask another person to taste the zucchini for them.{{cite web|title=Poisonous courgette warning|url=https://www.bhaf.org.uk/content/advice/gardening-advice-a-z/poisonous-courgette-warning|access-date=June 26, 2023}}{{cite web|title=Auf den Geschmack kommt es an|date=August 21, 2015 |url=http://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama/giftige-bitterstoffe-in-gemuese-auf-den-geschmack-kommt-es-an-1.2616420|access-date=August 24, 2015}} This toxin has caused at least one death of an elderly person, in 2015.{{cite web|title=Mann stirbt an Garten Zucchini|date=August 20, 2015 |url=http://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama/vergiftung-mann-stirbt-an-garten-zucchini-1.2615508|access-date=August 24, 2015}} Investigators warned that gardeners should not save their own seeds, as reversion to forms containing more poisonous cucurbitacin might occur.

Zucchini can also be responsible for allergy caused by the presence of a protein: profilin.{{cite journal|last1=Reindl|first1=Jürgen|last2=Anliker|first2=Mark D.|last3=Karamloo|first3=Fariba|last4=Vieths|first4=Stefan|last5=Wüthrich|first5=Brunello|title=Allergy caused by ingestion of zucchini (Cucurbita pepo) : Characterization of allergens and cross-reactivity to pollen and other foods|journal=Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology|volume=106|issue=2|year=2000|pages=379–385|issn=0091-6749|doi=10.1067/mai.2000.107602|pmid=10932084|doi-access=free}} The sap released when peeling young zucchini also contains a viscous substance which when drying on the hands gives the impression of super-glue and dry hands.{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}}

{{More citations needed section|date=January 2021}}

File:Zucchini Plant.jpg File:Courgette J1.JPG.]]Zucchini is very easy to cultivate in temperate climates. As such, it has a reputation among home gardeners for overwhelming production. The part harvested as "zucchini" is the immature fruit, although the flowers, mature fruit, and leaves are eaten, as well. One good way to control overabundance is to harvest the flowers, which are an expensive delicacy in markets because of the difficulty in storing and transporting them. The male flower is borne on the end of a stalk and is longer-lived.

While easy to grow, zucchini, like all squash, requires plentiful bees for pollination. In areas of pollinator decline or high pesticide use, such as mosquito-spray districts, gardeners often experience fruit abortion, where the fruit begins to grow, then dries or rots. This is due to an insufficient number of pollen grains delivered to the female flower. It can be corrected by hand pollination or by increasing the bee population. In areas where C. pepo is native, the primary pollinators are squash bees.{{cite web|last=Cane|first=Jim|url=http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/pollinator-of-the-month/squash_bees.shtml|title=Squash Bees|publisher=USDA ARS, Bee Biology & Systematics Lab, Logan, Utah|access-date=February 8, 2015}}

Closely related to zucchini are Lebanese summer squash or kusa (not to be confused with cushaw), but they often are lighter green or even white. Some seed catalogs do not distinguish them. Various varieties of round zucchinis are grown in different countries under different names, such as "Tondo di Piacenza" in Italy, "Qarabaghli" in Malta{{Cite web|title=Qarabaghli Mimli|url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/qarabaghli-mimli.278803|access-date=September 4, 2021|website=Times of Malta|date=October 25, 2009 |language=en-gb}} and "Ronde de Nice" in France.{{cite web|url=http://www.liseed.org/roundzucchini.html|publisher=Long Island Seed Project|title=Round Summer Squash|date=August 2, 2007}} In the late 1990s, American producers in California cultivated and began marketing round yellow and green zucchini known as "8-ball" squash (the yellow ones are sometimes known as "1-ball" or "gold ball").{{cite news|publisher=Dallas News|url=http://www.dallasnews.com/lifestyles/food-wine/food-wine-headlines/20130604-in-season-summer-means-squash.ece|title=In season: Summer means squash|date=June 4, 2013|last=Pierce|access-date=September 15, 2013}} White zucchini (summer squash) is sometimes seen as a mutation and can appear on the same plant as its green counterpart.

• Bianco di Trieste
• Black Beauty,{{cite web|url=https://web.extension.illinois.edu/veggies/ssquash.cfm |title= Summer Squash|publisher=University of Illinois Extension | access-date=May 17, 2020 }}, very dark green
• Cocozelle, dark green with white stripes, heirloom

Vegetable orchestras, such as the London Vegetable Orchestra use zucchini trumpets, butternut squash trombones, pumpkin drums and aubergine castanets.{{Cite news |last=Singh |first=Maanvi |date=2016-05-27 |title=Check Out These Musicians Who Literally Play With Their Food |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/05/27/479333096/check-out-these-musicians-who-literally-play-with-their-food |access-date=2025-04-07 |work=NPR |language=en}} Other vegetables played include carrots, bell peppers, potatoes and parsnips.{{Cite web |date=2025-04-07 |title=Britain’s King Charles joins vegetable orchestra in humorous Windsor Castle musical event |url=https://in-cyprus.philenews.com/international/britains-king-charles-joins-vegetable-orchestra-in-humorous-windsor-castle-musical-event/ |access-date=2025-04-07 |website=in-cyprus.philenews.com |language=en-US}}

• Aehobak (Korean zucchini)

{{Reflist}}

{{Cookbook}}

{{Commons|Cucurbita}}

• [https://allrecipe.org/zucchini-muffins-recipe/ Zucchini Muffins Recipe], AllRecipe
• [http://green-change.com/2009/05/20/hand-pollinating-zucchini-flowers/ Method for hand pollinating zucchini], Green Change

{{Squashes and pumpkins}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Crops originating from Europe

Category:Fruit vegetables

Category:Squashes and pumpkins