西葫芦

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This article is about the zucchini vegetable. For the 1982 book, see Zucchini (book).

i Squash
Zucchini or courgette vegetable and spent flower on plant
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Cucurbitales Family: Cucurbitaceae Genus: Cucurbita Species: C. pepo
Binomial name
Cucurbita pepo L.

Two Tondo di Piacenza Courgettes Two typical Courgettes or Zucchinis Ovary at the base of a female flower

Zucchini (Zoo-Keen-Ee) (US, Australian, and Canadian English) or courgette (New Zealand and British English) is a small summer marrow or squash, also commonly called Italian squash. Its Latin name is Cucurbita pepo (a species which also includes other squash). It can either be yellow or green and generally has a similar shape to a ridged cucumber, though a few cultivars are available that produce round or bottle-shaped vegetable. Unlike the cucumber it is usually served cooked, often steamed or grilled. Its flower can be eaten fried or stuffed. Culinarily, zucchini is considered to be a vegetable. However, biologically, the zucchini is a fruit, being the swollen ovary of the zucchini flower. Zucchini are traditionally picked when very immature, seldom over 8in/20cm in length. Mature zucchini can be as much as three feet long, but are often fibrous and not appetizing to eat.

Zucchini is one of the easiest vegetables to cultivate in a temperate climate. As such, zucchini has a reputation among home gardeners for overwhelming production, and a common type of joke among home growers revolves around creative ways of giving away unwanted zucchini to people who already have been given more than they can use.

In 2005, a poll of 2,000 people revealed the courgette to be Britain's 10th favourite culinary vegetable. In Mexico, the flower (known as Flor de Calabaza) is preferred over the vegetable, and is often cooked in soups or used as a filling for quesadillas.

Closely related, to the point where some seed catalogs do not make a distinction, are Lebanese summer squash or kusa, which closely resemble zucchini but often have a lighter green or even white color.

Contents [hide] 1 The Zucchini Flower 2 History and etymology 3 Nutrition 4 External links 5 References

[edit] The Zucchini Flower

Flower of zucchini

The zucchini flower can be male or female. The female flower is a golden blossom on the end of baby zucchini. The male flower grows on the stem of the zucchini plant and is slightly smaller than the female. Both flowers are edible. Firm and fresh blossoms that are only slightly open are cooked to be eaten, with stems and pistils removed. There are a variety of recipes in which the flowers may be stuffed, sautéed, baked, or used in a soup.

[edit] History and etymology

Zucchini, like all summer squash, has its ancestry in the Americas. But while most summer squash--including the closely related cocozelle and marrow--were introduced to Europe during the time of European colonization of the Americas, zucchini is European in origin, the result of a spontaneously occurring mutation. In all probability, this occurred in the very late 19th century, probably near Milan (early varieties usually included the names of cities in the area in the name). Courgette comes from the French name of the vegetable, with the same spelling. It is a diminutive of courge, meaning squash. While "zucca" is the Italian word for squash, and the feminine plural "zucchine" is preferred in most areas of Italy, the male plural "zucchini" is used in other areas of Italy and the United States. The first records of zucchini in the United States date to the early 1920s. It was almost certainly brought over by Italian immigrants, and probably got its start in California.

[edit] Nutrition

The zucchini vegetable is low in calories (approximately 15 food calories per 100 g fresh zucchini) but contains useful amounts of folate (24 mcg/100 g), potassium (280 mg/100 g) and vitamin A (384 IU [115 mcg]/100 g).

[edit] External links

• Courgettes, Gourds & AuberginesA history from a Spanish perspective
• L.A. Times article on the Zucchini's connection to Los Angeles. (May require free registration)

[edit] References

• ITIS 22365 6 November 2002
  
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  糊塌子

  作者：冰清

  星岛日报副刊 2006年2月21日 糊塌子是老北京的一种特色小吃，就是用面粉和西葫芦摊成薄饼，做起来非常方便，而且味道极为鲜美。 糊塌子的主要原料是西葫芦。 西葫芦是瓜类蔬菜中食用较广泛的一种，食法有拌、炝、炒、扒、烧、炖、焖、做汤、制馅、做罐头等。西葫芦营养丰富，每 500克含蛋白质4.5克、脂肪1克、碳水化合物16.5克、粗纤维l克、硫胺素0.05毫克、核黄素0.05毫克、抗坏血酸45毫克、维生素E4.45毫克、尼克酸1.5毫克、胡萝卜素0.05毫克及钙、磷、钾、镁等十几种矿物质和谷氨酸等16种氨基酸等营养素。 西葫芦还有清热利尿、除烦止渴、润肺止咳、消肿散结的功能。可用于辅助治疗水肿腹胀、烦渴，疮毒以及肾炎、肝硬化腹水等症。据研究，它还含有一种干扰素的诱生剂，可刺激机体产生干扰素，提高免疫力，发挥抗病毒和肿瘤的作用。此外，西葫芦富含水分，有润泽肌肤的作用。 具体做法 将西葫芦洗净，用擦子把西葫芦擦成细丝；把鸡蛋打入盆中，将盆中撒入适量的盐，用勺子在盆中搅拌。当我们看到西葫芦中水份出来了，把面粉倒入盆中，用勺子在盆中搅拌，当面粉变成比较粘稠的糊状时，即成为半成品（如果觉得面糊太稠，可放些水，依个人口味而定）。把平底锅底部均匀地淋上一层食用油，用小火加热。油热后将调好的面糊用圆勺舀入锅中，成圆饼状，用铲子抹平，不要太厚。当底面焦黄时，用铲子翻过来，再烙几分钟。等两面都呈金黄色，糊塌子即可出锅食用。如果吃的时候再佐以醋、蒜、酱油、盐、糖、味精、香油等，那就更加美味了。 美国买不到中国那种较大的西葫芦，只有一种小的意大利瓜，叫 zucchini ，味道和中国西葫芦差不多，但是要嫩很多，做的时候不要放太多水，因为瓜本身要出许多水。韩国店中也有一种叫“ Korean zucchini ”的，和中国西葫芦很像，就是个头小些，也可拿来一用。