Zucchini

Zucchini is a type of summer squash in the gourd family, grown for its edible immature fruit.

Zucchini is a summer squash in the gourd family, grown for its edible immature fruit. In Canada, it's a common garden crop and standard term, while "courgette" is understood but less used.

What it is

Zucchini (*Cucurbita pepo*) is a variety of summer squash in the Cucurbitaceae family. It is a herbaceous vining plant with separate male and female flowers on the same plant. The fruit is harvested young, before seeds and rind harden, and is typically long, cylindrical, and green.

Key details

Botanically, the zucchini fruit is a berry-like pepo, but in cooking it's treated as a vegetable. It's widely grown in gardens and commercial farms because it produces edible fruit quickly during summer. Canadian English uses "zucchini" as the standard term, though "courgette" is also recognized.

Nomenclature and origin

The name "zucchini" comes from Italian usage, and is standard in North American English. "Courgette" is common in British English. The broader species originated in the Americas, but the modern zucchini form was developed in Italy.