Zucchini, rich in vitamins and low on calories, is appreciated for being light and easy to digest. The Cucurbitaceae family, which they are part of alongside pumpkins, cucumbers, melons and watermelons, gets its name from the Sanskrit “corb”, to “crawl”, or “vine”. As a matter of fact, the unifying characteristic for the species in this family is having rough, running or climbing restems.
History of zucchini
Zucchini is native of central America. It was already cultivated in ancient Perù. Just like many other vegetables (potatoes, tomatoes, pumpkins, bell peppers etc.) it only got to Europe after the rediscovery of America. Fun fact: did you know Italian migrants were the ones to bring zucchini to North America at the beginning of the 20th century?… hence the “uncountable” Italian name.
Varieties of zucchini and their uses around the kitchen
Varieties of zucchini aren’t as few as one may think. The most common one is the long one. Its skin can be dark or light green (the latter known as “romanesco”), streaked, and even yellow or white. Round zucchini, which is usually green, is perfect for recipes that call for stuffing. Patty pan is a small squash with scalloped edges that tastes slightly similar to artichoke heart; moreover in Italy we even have so called “eccentric squashes”, a collections of the ones that don’t resemble any other type, like the crookneck squash (the yellow rugoso friulano).
Zucchini is an extremely versatile vegetable that lends itself for countless preparations: boiled, fried, sautéed, stuffed, alla parmigiana, or even turned into a vessel for delicious fillings…you name it! Finally, it is mandatory not to forget the flower, battered and deep-fried, possibly with ricotta or caciocavallo inside, like a little treasure trove of pure goodness!
Zucchini, more than an ally for your diet!
Since it contains a strong amount of water, zucchini has a low-calorie count (approximately 16 kcal per hundred grams) yet provides a lot of minerals, like calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and vitamin A, C and E, and folic acid. Zucchini also carries a good supply of tryptophan, a mood boosting amino acid.
Nutritional facts
100g of zucchini contains 11 kcal / 47 kj.
100g of product contain:
Water 94.23g
Carbs 1.4g
Sugars 1.3g
Protein 1.3g
Fats 0.1g
Cholesterol 0g
Dietary fiber 1.2g
Magnesium 17mg
Zinc 1.14mg
Copper 0.14mg
