Baby Zucchini

TASTING NOTES FROM THE CURATOR

These baby zucchinis come from France, where they are also called courgettes. This is a summer squash, and is not a fully mature zucchini. It has a deep green skin, and a high-water content. Its flesh is nicely crisp but still soft, with a complex flavor that has peppery notes and grassy undertones. When cooked, the flavor mellows.

PREPARATION AND PAIRINGS

Baby zucchini can be eaten either raw, as a snack or in salads, or cooked. They’re great steamed, baked, pickled, grilled, roasted, sauteed with garlic, as a gratin, or breaded and fried. Some good pairings are tomatoes and eggplants, basil, oregano, and parsley, and ricotta, feta, and parmesan.

MANY WORDS FOR MARROW

Zucchini is known in three common names in English, all of them loaned from other languages, and all of them meaning “small marrow.” The word “zucchini” is taken from the Italian language, where it is the plural masculine diminutive of the word “zucca,” which means “marrow.” It is also called “courgette,” which is taken from French, where it is a diminutive of courge, also meaning “marrow.” And in South Africa, it is simply called “baby marrow.”

Storage Instructions

Store your zucchini whole in a plastic or paper bag, with one end open. This encourages air circulation. Store them in the crisper drawer, and consume within 1 week.