DESKTOP 1980 - ZUCCHINI

The zucchini (American English) or courgette (British English) is a summer squash which can reach nearly 1 metre in length, but is usually harvested when still immature at about 15 to 25 cm.  A zucchini is a thin-skinned cultivar of what in Britain and Ireland is referred to as a marrow. In South Africa, a zucchini is known as a baby marrow. Along with certain other squashes and pumpkins, the zucchini belongs to the species Cucurbita pepo. It can be dark or light green. A related hybrid, the golden zucchini, is a deep yellow or orange colour.

In a culinary context, the zucchini is treated as a vegetable; it is usually cooked and presented as a savoury dish or accompaniment. Botanically, zucchinis are fruits, a type of botanical berry called a "pepo", being the swollen ovary of the zucchini flower. The zucchini, like all squash, has its ancestry in the Americas. However, the varieties of squash typically called "zucchini" were developed in northern Italy in the second half of the 19th century, many generations after the introduction of cucurbits from the Americas in the early 16th century.

ORIGIN: Italian, plural of zucchino, diminutive of zucca ‘gourd’.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Nature Notes meme.