Zucchini

Thezucchini(/zuˈkiːni/;pl.:zucchiniorzucchinis),courgette(/kʊərˈʒɛt/) orbaby marrow(Cucurbita pepo)is asummer squash, aviningherbaceous plantwhose fruit are harvested when their immatureseedsandepicarp(rind) are still soft and edible. It is closely related, but not identical, to themarrow; its fruit may be calledmarrowwhen mature.
Ordinary zucchini fruit are any shade of green, though the golden zucchini is a deep yellow or orange.At maturity, they can grow to nearly 1 metre (3 feet) in length, but they are normally harvested at about 15–25 cm (6–10 in).
Inbotany, the zucchini's fruit is apepo, aberry(the swollenovaryof thezucchini flower) with a hardened epicarp. In cookery, it is treated as a vegetable, usually cooked and eaten as an accompaniment or savory dish, though occasionally used in sweeter cooking.
Zucchini occasionally contain toxiccucurbitacins, making them extremely bitter, and causing severe gastero-enteric upsets. Causes include stressed growing conditions, and cross pollination with ornamental squashes.
Zucchini descends from squashes firstdomesticatedinMesoamericaover 7,000 years ago,but the zucchini itself was bred inMilanin the late 19th century.
The plant has three names in English, all of them meaning 'small marrow':zucchini(an Italianloanword), usually used in the plural form even when only onezucchinois meant,courgette(a French loanword), andbaby marrow(South African English).Zucchiniandcourgettearedoublets, both descending from the Latincucurbita, 'gourd'.
The namezucchiniis used inAmerican,Australian,CanadianandNew ZealandEnglish. It is loaned from  Italian, wherezucchiniis thepluralmasculinediminutiveofzucca, 'marrow' (Italian pronunciation:[ˈdzukka]).
In Italian, the masculinezucchino(plural:zucchini) is attested earlier and hence preferred by theAccademia della Crusca, the Italian language regulator.The femininezucchina(plural:zucchine) is also found, and preferred by the Italian-language encyclopediaTreccani, which considerszucchinoto be aTuscan dialectword.
Zucchiniis also used inCanadian French,Danish, German, andSwedish.
The namecourgetteis used inBritish,Hiberno-,Malaysian, New Zealand,and South African English. It is loaned from French, wherecourgette(French pronunciation:[kuʁʒɛt]) is a diminutive ofcourge, 'marrow'.
Courgetteis also used inDutch.
The namebaby marrowis used interchangeably in South Africa withcourgette.
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 leafpetiolemeetsstem), 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.
Firm and fresh blossoms that are only slightly open are cooked to be eaten, withpistilsremoved from female flowers, andstamensremoved 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 asfrittersor tempura (after dipping in a light tempura batter), stuffed, sautéed, baked, or used in soups.
Zucchini, like allsquash, has its ancestry in the Americas, specificallyMesoamerica. 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 namezucchinioccurs in a work published inMilanin 1901.Early varieties usually appended the names of nearby cities in their names.
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 ofC. pepo.
When used for food, zucchini are usually picked when under 20 cm (8 in) in length, when theseedsare still soft and immature.Mature zucchini can be 1 m (40 in) 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.
Zucchini is usually served cooked.It can be prepared using a variety of cooking techniques, including steamed, boiled, grilled,stuffedand baked, barbecued, fried, or incorporated in other recipes such assoufflés. Raw grated zucchini can also be combined with flour and spices in a zucchini bread,similar tobanana bread, or incorporated into acake mixto make zucchini cake, similar tocarrot cake. Itsflowerscan be eaten stuffed and are a delicacy whendeep-fat-fried(e.g.,tempura).
Zucchini has a delicate flavor and can be found simply cooked with butter orolive oiland herbs, or in more complex dishes.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 witheggplant, in order to keep the slices' shape while cooking.Zucchini can also be eaten raw, sliced or shredded, in a cold salad, as well as lightly cooked in hot salads, as inThaiorVietnameserecipes. Mature (larger-sized) zucchini are well-suited for cooking in breads.
Zucchinis can be cut with aspiralizerinto noodle-like spirals and used as a low-carbohydrate substitute for pasta or noodles, often referred to as 'zoodles'.
InAustralia, a popular dish is a frittata-like dish calledzucchini slice.
InBulgaria, 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.
InEgypt, zucchini may be cooked with tomato sauce, garlic, and onions.
In France, zucchini is a key ingredient inratatouille, 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-dayNice, 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 calledcourgette farcie(stuffed zucchini).
InGreece, zucchini is usually fried, stewed or boiled with other fruits (often green chili peppers and eggplants). It is served as anhors d'œuvreor as a main dish, especially during fasting seasons. Zucchini is also stuffed with minced meat, rice, and herbs and served withavgolemonosauce. In several parts of Greece, the flowers of the plant are stuffed with white cheese, usuallyfetaormizithra, 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 asfiori di zucca(cf.pumpkin flower fritter).
In thecuisines of the former Ottoman Empire, zucchini is often stuffed and calleddolma. It is also used in various stews, both with and without meat, includingladera.
InSephardic Jewish cuisine,medias(fromJudeo-Spanish, meaning "halves") is a dish of halved zucchinis stuffed with meat and a mixture of ingredients, and cooked in a sour lemon sauce.
In Mexico, the flower (known asflor de calabaza) is often cooked in soups or used as a filling forquesadillas. The fruit is used in stews, soups (i.e.caldo de res,de pollo, orde pescado,mole de olla, etc.) and other preparations. The flower, as well as the fruit, is eaten often throughout Latin America.
In Russia,Ukraineand otherCIScountries, zucchini usually is coated in flour orsemolinaand then fried or baked in vegetable oil, served withsour 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.
InTurkey, zucchini is the main ingredient in the popular dishmücver, or "zucchini pancakes", made from shredded zucchini, flour, and eggs, lightly fried inolive oiland 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.
In 2005, a poll of 2,000 people revealed it to beBritain's 10th favorite culinary vegetable.
Stuffed zucchiniis 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.There's also Lebanese Zucchini Stew, or Mnazelah, a stew consisting of zucchini, potatoes, tomatoes, meat, and varied spices.Typical stuffings in the Middle Eastern family ofdolmainclude rice, onions, tomato, and sometimes meat.
Zucchini are low in food energy (approximately 71 kilojoules or 17 kilocalories per100 grams or3+1⁄2ounces fresh zucchini) and contain good amounts offolate(24 μg/100 g),potassium(261 mg/100 g),provitamin A(200IU[10RAE]/100 g) andvitamin C(12.9 mg/100 g) .
Members of the plant familyCucurbitaceae, which includes zucchini / marrows, pumpkins and cucumbers, can contain toxins calledcucurbitacins. These aresteroidswhich 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.This toxin has caused at least one death of an elderly person, in 2015.Investigators warned that gardeners should not save their own seeds, as reversion to forms containing morepoisonous cucurbitacinmight occur.
Zucchini can also be responsible forallergycaused by the presence of aprotein:profilin.The sap released when peeling young zucchini also contains aviscoussubstance which when drying on the hands gives the impression of super-glue and dry hands.
Zucchini is very easy to cultivate intemperateclimates. As such, it has a reputation among homegardenersfor 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 theflowers, 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 plentifulbeesforpollination. In areas ofpollinator declineor highpesticideuse, such asmosquito-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 byhand pollinationor by increasing the bee population.
Closely related to zucchini are Lebanese summer squash orkusa(not to be confused withcushaw), 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 Maltaand "Ronde de Nice" in France.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").White zucchini (summer squash) is sometimes seen as a mutation and can appear on the same plant as its green counterpart.