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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Zucchini, also known as courgette to the French and British, is a gardener’s friend. Renowned for its abundant production, many gardeners even pick away the flowers before the fruit has formed so as not to be overwhelmed by the tasty green squash. It comes in various shapes and sizes, and can be yellow, green or both. Most people pick them when they are around 8-inches long, but Italians tend to pick them smaller when the taste is more delicate. Left to its own devices, a Zucchini will grow up to several feet, but it becomes quite watery in the process.
Zucchini belongs to an extensive family of plants known as cucurbits. Cucurbits all have vine-like qualities and most produce edible fruits, whether eaten as fruits or vegetables. Relatives to the zucchini in the cucurbit family include the watermelon, the cucumber and the elusive chayote and cassabanana. Like all cucurbits, zucchini started its development in Latin America. Remains of the zucchini’s ancestors have been found in Mexico dating back to 7000 BC. During the period of European colonization, a form of squash was taken over to Italy where, through mutation, it morphed into the common zucchini that we know today. Zucca is the Italian word for squash, with zucchini meaning “little squash.”
Zucchini is low in calories and high in healthy goodness. According to nutritiondata.com, one cup of cooked zucchini contains 10% of the recommended daily value of magnesium, 40% of Vitamin A and 10% of Vitamin C. It is also an excellent source of dietary fiber, is touted as a digestion aid and, if summer’s got you feeling hot, apparently it will help cool you down.
Zucchini is prepared in a plethora of ways all over the world. In Mexico, the flowers are extremely popular and they are stuffed and fried or incorporated into quesadillas. In Italy, zucchini is often breaded and fried or sautéed in olive oil. In France, it is slowly sautéed along with tomato and onion to make ratatouille, or made into a gratin. Zucchini is incorporated into Thai and Vietnamese cuisine through quick stir-fried, and wrapped into light summer rolls. In Lebanon, it is stuffed with minced meat, rice and herbs, and baked, and in Greece the flowers are filled with Feta – obviously a very versatile veggie. To see Sustainable Table’s Zucchini, www.sustainabletable.org
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