A large raw zucchini contains:
- Calories: 55
- Protein: 4 grams
- Fat: 1 gram
- Carbohydrates: 10 grams
- Fiber: 3.2 grams
- Sugar: 8 grams
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A large raw zucchini contains:
- Calories: 55.
- Protein: 4 grams.
- Fat: 1 gram.
- Carbohydrates: 10 grams.
- Fiber: 3.2 grams.
- Sugar: 8 grams.
Naming and etymology
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Flower
The female flower is a golden blossom on the end of each emergent zucchini. The male flower grows directly on the stem of the zucchini plant in the leaf axils (where leaf petiole meets stem ), on a long stalk, and is slightly smaller than the female. Both flowers are edible and are often used to dress a meal or to garnish the cooked fruit.
History
Zucchini, like all squash, has its ancestry in the Americas, specifically Mesoamerica. However, the varieties of green, cylindrical squash harvested immature and typically called "zucchini" were cultivated in northern Italy, as much as three centuries after the introduction of cucurbits from the Americas.
Culinary uses
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Nutrition
Zucchini are low in food energy (approximately 71 kilojoules or 17 kilocalories per 100 grams or 3 + 1⁄2 ounces fresh zucchini) and contain useful amounts of folate (24 μg/100 g), potassium (261 mg/100 g), and provitamin A (200 IU [10 RAE ]/100 g).
Toxicology
Members of the plant family Cucurbitaceae, which includes zucchini / marrows, pumpkins and cucumbers, can contain toxins called cucurbitacins. These are steroids which defend the plants from predators, and have a bitter taste to humans. Cultivated cucurbitaceae are bred for low levels of the toxin and are safe to eat.
Cultivation
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What Is Zucchini?
Zucchini belongs to the species Cucurbita pepo and is related to certain other squashes and pumpkins. Even though most people use it like other vegetables — for example, adding to savory dishes with herbs and protein sources — botanically speaking, it’s actually a fruit.
Zucchini Nutrition Facts
How many calories are in zucchini? How many carbs are in zucchini? Below is a look at zucchini nutrition facts.
Health Benefits
When it comes to disease prevention, what are the health benefits of zucchini nutrition? Seeds from various squash vegetables are known to hold many types of phytonutrients that can help fight inflammation and oxidative stress.
Uses in Traditional Medicine
Thanks to its carotenoids, vitamin C, phenolic compounds and other minerals, zucchini has a long history of use for promoting health in traditional folk medicine.
Zucchini vs. Squash vs. Eggplant vs. Cucumber
What’s the difference between zucchini and yellow summer squash (often just called “squash”)? There isn’t much difference when it comes to their nutrient content, although the two have some differences in taste and size. Green ones are usually longer, while yellow ones are typically wider and shorter.
Recipes
Zucchini’s mild flavor is complemented well by lots of different flavors and spices. Try adding garlic, olive oil, tomatoes, oregano, parsley, sesame and ginger to zucchini to highlight its taste in one of these healthy Zucchini Noodles Recipes.
Risks and Side Effects
Zucchini is well-tolerated by most people and isn’t likely to cause digestive issues or allergic reactions. It’s even suitable for babies, toddlers and children since it’s soft, mild-tasting and easy to disguise in recipes.
What is zucchini?
You might think of zucchini as a vegetable, but it's actually a young fruit that belongs to the Cucurbitaceae plant family, alongside other favorites like cucumbers and gourds. Zucchini is harvested before it fully matures, and it's categorized as a type of summer squash.
What does it taste like?
The best way to describe zucchini's taste is mild. While it's a little bit sweet, it mostly takes on the characteristics of how it is cooked. Sauté it in olive oil with a little garlic, and it becomes a crispy carrier of that savory flavor. Purée it and add it to muffins, and it becomes a sweet addition to the batter.
How do you make and cook zucchini noodles?
This might just be the most popular way of enjoying the summer squash. You can make zucchini noodles with quite a few tools in the kitchen, so don't worry if you don't have a spiralizer. A potato peeler, run down the fruit lengthwise, makes thin strips, culinary scientist Jen Gavin writes on her website.
What are some creative ways to use zucchini?
If you really want to get creative, the ways to use zucchini are endless. Zucchini purée can be added to the batter in everything from muffins to cakes and cookies. Its relatively mild flavor doesn't compete with the taste of baked goods, so it's a great choice to add to muffins, bread, cakes, bars, or even brownies.
When is it in season?
Zucchini starts to appear as soon as the weather turns warm and the frost has disappeared. With a relatively short growing season compared to other fruits on the vine, zucchini is best enjoyed in June through August. During the summer months, you're likely to find it everywhere in the farmers markets.
Can you freeze it?
The summer squash can easily be frozen if you aren't able to use it within a few days of purchase. For the best results, pick a young, small squash, wash it, and cut it into pieces. Blanch the ¼" slices for three minutes in boiling water, and then immediately plunge them in an ice water bath.
What are the health benefits of zucchini?
Hoffstetter sees many reasons to include it in your diet. "It's a non-starchy vegetable. It's low in calories with no fat, high in fiber. It's a filler food for weight loss because of the fiber content. It helps keep blood sugar stable, regulates bowels, and improves your gut health," the RD says.
Health benefits of zucchini
Zucchini (otherwise known as courgette) is a filling and low-calorie ingredient that’s loaded with nutrients! I’ll put on my nutritionist brain and break it down. (This information is per 1 large zucchini, raw, with skin,)
What is zucchini?
Zucchini is ubiquitous in grocery stores around the world. But…what even IS zucchini?
Types of zucchini
There aren’t many variations of zucchini, probably because anything varying far from your everyday zucchini gets classified as another type of squash. The breakdown is pretty simple:
Did you know?
Zucchini can grow to be REALLY BIG? The biggest zucchini ever recorded was 7 feet 10 inches! If left to its own accord, your average zucchini would grow to be as big as a baseball bat. But it wouldn’t taste so swell. Bigger zucchinis are tough and fibrous, so we pick them when they’re small (about 7 to 9 inches).
How to buy good zucchini
Zucchini grows best in temperate climates…not too hot, not too cold. While you can get it just about year-round, they’re out in full force during the summer months.
How to store zucchini
Be gentle! Small nicks and scratches in the skin can cause your zucchini to deteriorate more quickly.
Cucumber vs. Zucchini
Ever get confused about the difference between cucumber and zucchini? You’re not alone!
High in antioxidants
Free radicals are unstable atoms in the body that fight infection. If a person has an imbalance of free radicals, they can damage the body’s fatty tissue, DNA, and proteins. Doctors call this oxidative stress, and it can cause a range of health issues.
Reduces blood sugar levels
Carbohydrates turn into glucose inside the body, which can increase a person’s blood sugar levels.
Improves eye health
Zucchini may also help improve eye health. For example, zucchini is high in vitamin C, which is also an antioxidant. Some evidence suggests that vitamin C can reduce a person’s risk of developing eye problems, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts.
What does zucchini taste like?
Zucchini have firm, dark green outer skins which provide a slight bit of crunch. The inner flesh is much softer in texture and lighter in color, usually a pale yellow shade. The skin of the zucchini tastes rather grassy and earthy, and it's really the flesh of the fruit that contains most of the flavor.
Nutritional information about zucchini
Aside from being a hearty, green vegetable that tastes great, zucchini is pretty nutritious and extremely versatile when cooking. A standard cup of zucchini is super low in calories as well as fat, sugar, and carbohydrate content (via Healthline ).
How to select and store zucchini
Luckily, zucchini and other variations of squash are pretty common and always in high demand, so they're usually easy to find. If you're heading to your local grocery store, you can find zucchini in the produce section.
How to prepare zucchini
It's also quite easy to add zucchini to your diet because of its versatility as a kitchen ingredient. As mentioned above, there are many different ways to cook zucchini, but even the method of preparation can vary, too.
What Are The Nutritional Benefits of Zucchini?
Zucchini contains zero fat, and is high in water and fiber. It also contains significant amounts of vitamins B6, riboflavin, folate, C, and K, and minerals, like potassium and manganese.
Zucchini Benefits: 8 Reasons to Eat More of This Squash
Incorporating zucchini in your diet can help improve digestion including reducing the incidence of constipation and other digestive issues.
How to Grow Zucchini In Your Backyard
Zucchini grows best during the warmer months, which is why it’s also called summer squash. However, you can still grow it at other times provided it is shielded from extreme cold.
Overview
The zucchini , courgette (/kʊərˈʒɛt/; plural: courgettes) or baby marrow (Cucurbita pepo) is a summer squash, a vining herbaceous plant whose fruit are harvested when their immature seeds and epicarp (rind) are still soft and edible. It is closely related, but not identical, to the marrow; its fruit may be called marrow when mature.
Naming and etymology
The plant has three names in English, all of them meaning 'small marrow': zucchini (an Italian loanword), usually used in the plural form even when only one zucchina is meant, courgette (a French loanword), and baby marrow (South African English). Zucchini and courgette are doublets, both descending from the Latin cucurbita, 'gourd'.
The name zucchini is used in American, Australian, Canadian and New Zealand English. It is loane…
Flower
The female flower is a golden blossom on the end of each emergent zucchini. The male flower grows directly on the stem of the zucchini plant in the leaf axils (where leaf petiole meets stem), on a long stalk, and is slightly smaller than the female. Both flowers are edible and are often used to dress a meal or to garnish the cooked fruit.
History
Zucchini, like all squash, has its ancestry in the Americas, specifically Mesoamerica. However, the varieties of green, cylindrical squash harvested immature and typically called "zucchini" were cultivated in northern Italy, as much as three centuries after the introduction of cucurbits from the Americas. It appears that this occurred in the second half of the 19th century, although the first description of the variety under the name zucchini occurs in a work published in Milan in 1901. Ea…
Culinary uses
When used for food, zucchini are usually picked when under 20 cm (8 in) in length, when the seeds are still soft and immature. Mature zucchini can be 1 m (40 in) long or more. These larger ones often have mature seeds and hard skins, requiring peeling and seeding. A zucchini with the flowers attached is a sign of a truly fresh and immature fruit, and it is especially sought after for its s…
Toxicology
Members of the plant family Cucurbitaceae, which includes zucchini / marrows, pumpkins and cucumbers, can contain toxins called cucurbitacins. These are steroids which defend the plants from predators, and have a bitter taste to humans. Cultivated cucurbitaceae are bred for low levels of the toxin and are safe to eat. However, ornamental pumpkins can have high levels of cucurbitacins, and such ornamental plants can cross-fertilize edible cucurbitaceae—any such cr…
Cultivation
Zucchini is very easy to cultivate in temperate climates. As such, it has a reputation among home gardeners for overwhelming production. The part harvested as "zucchini" is the immature fruit, although the flowers, mature fruit, and leaves are eaten, as well. One good way to control overabundance is to harvest the flowers, which are an expensive delicacy in markets because of th…
See also
• Aehobak (Korean zucchini)