I don’t think I really knew that the zucchini is a hybrid of the cucumber. I do sometimes have trouble telling them apart when they are cut up in a salad, but I never really thought about their relation. I guess I figured they were related somehow. Since zucchini and cucumbers are related that makes zucchini a fruit. Geez louise. I would be in so much trouble if my life depended upon knowing the difference between what actually is a fruit and what isn’t. Most of the vegetables I think of as vegetables are actually fruits. The culinary world and the world of botany doesn’t always match up. Wiki describes the zucchini in the following appetizing way: “swollen ovary of the zucchini flower”. Yeah thanks, I want to eat swollen ovaries. 🙂 I am mostly familiar with the green zucchini, however, it is called a summer squash. I call yellow zucchini squash, not zucchini.
You might see recipes calling for courgettes . . . that is zucchini.
In regards to nutrition, zucchini are low in calories. They are a great source of antioxidants. In about 100 grams of zucchini there is 17 mg of vitamin C. It seems the best way to get the most antioxidants out of the fruit is to steam them. I am not sure I’ve tried them that way. I like to roast them, but the time involved to get them the way I like them usually keeps me from making them that way. As I mentioned in my Grated Zhuccini is GREAT post I actually like to grate them and mix them into other foods. I think they go great with linguine and rice. Not linquine and rice together, but one or the other. A comment made on that post was asking if they are stringing when they are grated, but they are not, after it is cooked it has the consistency of cheese. My last mix was turkey . . . . which is yummy too. I also like them raw, sliced paper-thin, in green salads.
My mom makes them into cheese boats. That’s a great way to cook them too. Kind of like the eggplant I did, but she takes a little out from the middle and then puts cheese in them. I only did that once. That was really good.
Zucchini has a few of the B vitamins, as you can see below.
Also since the seeds contain Omega 3, zucchini might be one of those anti-inflammatory foods that can help with the inflammation of the body. So many other foods (sugar, dairy, foods with transfat, refined grains) ADD to chronic inflammation it is always nice to get the foods into our diet that help combat it. I say “might” because the information I read had said that studies have yet to prove . . . but if the seeds have Omega 3 the might help in the battle.
According to WHFoods, 1 cup (113 grams) of raw zucchini contains:
vitamin C 32%
molybdenum 18%
vitamin B6 12.5%
manganese 10%
vitamin B2 9.4%
potassium 8.4%
folate 8.1%
fiber 4.9%
magnesium 4.8%
vitamin A 4.5%
phosphorus 4.2%
vitamin K 4.2%
vitamin B1 3.3%
tryptophan3.1%
copper 3%
vitamin B 32.7%
protein 2.7%
omega-3 fats 2.5%
Calories (18) 1%
Since is it summer time here and they call zucchini a summer squash, it’s a good time to post about it. Especially since I received some in my organic produce box.
How do you prepare zucchini? Which color do you use? Which is your favorite?
Terre Pruitt's Blog 