Generality
The courgette (or courgette) is the immature fruit of a vegetable belonging to the Curcubitaceae family, Genus Curcubita, Pepo species; the binomial nomenclature of the zucchini plant is Cucurbita pepo .
The zucchini flowers are yellow, tending to orange, with a single petal; the male ones depart from the stem through a thin stem, while the female ones rise from the end of the fruit.
Courgettes are harvested unripe, when they are about 20 centimeters long, preventing them from growing and maturing to become a pumpkin.
Nutritional and Gastronomic Properties
Let's start by pointing out that, being very delicate, the courgettes do not last long; in particular, when exposed to light and heat, they tend to lose their original freshness and nutritional properties in just a few days.
Among all the vegetables, the courgette is one of the least caloric (thanks to its high water content) and this makes it extremely useful in different types of diet (clinical or not). The energy of the zucchini basically comes from carbohydrates and only to a lesser extent from proteins (with a low biological value, with the limiting amino acid Treonina) and from lipids (of the unsaturated type); cholesterol is absent.
The dietary fiber content does not disappoint even if, among the vegetables, it is certainly not the highest: compared to a vegetable rich in this nutritional component, such as artichoke (5.5g / 100g), the courgettes bring about 4 or 5 times LESS. Obviously, if on the one hand they contain less fiber (very important for intestinal balance, the prevention of certain tumors and the modulation of nutrient absorption), courgettes are considered among the MOST DIGESTIVE vegetables in the entire category.
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Nutritional values (per 100 g of edible portion)
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Concerning the vitamin aspect, the courgettes bring above all a modest supply of vit. C, of retinol equivalents (vit. A) and folic acid (not visible in the table).
From the saline point of view, instead, the courgettes abound above all in potassium and manganese (not visible in the table).
Courgettes are suitable for any diet and contribute to increasing the intake of water, potassium and fiber in the diet. They have a satiating effect and are perfect in the context of a low-calorie diet and / or against metabolic diseases. The average portion of courgettes (simply cooked, boiled or sautéed with a little olive oil) is about 150-250g, even twice a day.
Unlike pumpkin (obsolete in many regions of Italy), courgettes are a very common food in tables throughout the nation. Steamed or boiled, sautéed and served with a little olive oil and vinegar, they are considered a tasty and dietetic vegetable by everyone. Other times they are used as an ingredient in soups, soups, mixed salads or fruit salads, with or without legumes. Do not miss the first courses (pasta or risotto) accompanied by sauces with zucchini, while the sweet tooth tend to cook them with oil and butter or to fry them after flour. Obviously, the raw food fanatics use them without cooking them, in the form of julienne, perhaps in mixed salads enriched with oil seeds (sesame, poppy, sunflower, almonds, pine nuts, hazelnuts, etc.) and other raw vegetables.
Courgette-based desserts have even been proposed, such as the vegan cake with cocoa, hazelnuts and courgettes.
Video Recipes with Zucchini
Recipes with Zucchini
Grated zucchini in 5 minutes
Grated zucchini in 5 minutes
X Problems with video playback? Reload from YouTube Go to Video Page Go to Video Recipes Section Watch the video on youtubeOther Video Recipes with Zucchini
Choose zucchini at the supermarket
At the supermarket it is good to choose the smaller specimens (no longer than 22-25 cm), which generally have a better taste and are seedless. If you want to do your wallet a favor, you should instead discard the courgettes with an overly large part. In fact, this portion, despite being normally discarded, has a significant impact on the weight of the courgette, consequently on its cost. If a swollen flower is still attached to the opposite end, relaxed and without curls, it means that the courgette is very fresh. Another indication of freshness is the peel, which must be smooth, shiny, tight and compact.
Usually, the zucchini is consumed whole, without peeling it. This operation is necessary if a particularly thorny quality is chosen. Remember, by the way, that the presence of a light down on the surface of the courgette is a clear indication of the freshness of the product. Depending on the variety purchased, the color of the skin varies from light green to dark green, while at other times there are streaks with different shades.
Brief notes on Botany
It is a herbaceous vegetable with an annual cycle, which thanks to its ability to crawl or climb spreads the fruits even a few meters away from the point of origin.
The same organism produces fertile male and sterile female flowers, and only from the latter (through pollination) can a courgette mature. The flowers, well known as pumpkin flowers or courgette flowers, are traditional foods of our peninsula and they too (after removing the pistil) are consumed as if they were vegetables or vegetables.
Being of tropical origin, the courgette must be cultivated in warm-temperate climates, since below 10-12 ° C the plant stops its development; the optimal temperature is between 15-18 ° C at night and 24-30 ° C during the day. It also requires a high rate of irrigation and requires very fertile soil.
Producing quality zucchini directly in your garden is not difficult, but it is necessary to respect the needs we mentioned. The plant adapts quite well but it is important not to collect all the delicious male flowers, as they are necessary for pollination and the consequent development of the courgettes.
The courgette tends to get sick easily, in particular if cultivated not respecting the right distances between the plants (120cm), preventing the right air circulation and / or the contribution of all the fundamental substances for growth (among which the calcium plays an essential role in structuring his immune defenses); the most frequent diseases are: gray mold, downy mildew and rust.
The most known varieties of courgettes grown in Italy are long courgettes (dark or striped or light) and round courgettes (basically green).
