Versatile, easy to grow and low in calories, there's more to the courgette than being a staple in ratatouille or veggie lasagne.
A bit about courgettes
The general belief is that courgettes were first brought to Europe from the Americas and that they have descended directly from squashes, which have been cultivated in Central America for thousands of years.
Courgettes thrive in the UK; the season peaks in the August heat, giving way to thicker-skinded cousins such as squashes and pumpkins in October when the first frosts of autumn appear. For the gardening enthusiast they're a good choice to grow because they keep producing if you cut the courgettes before they grow to marrow size.
Nutritional content and health benefits
Courgettes are 90% water, low in calories and fat. They contain vitamins A and C, plus folate and potassium.
Choosing and cooking courgettes
Courgettes don't keep for long (up to five days in the fridge), which is another good reason why you should grow your own (see our tips on growing a vegetable garden here).
If you're buying them, go for smaller, younger courgettes – they have more flavour – and make sure they're firm to the touch with smooth skins. They need a good wash, and their ends trimming, and some people prefer the peel them too (though it's only the older, larger courgettes that really require it).
Courgettes can be baked, fried, griddled, roasted, steamed and stewed and are great in salads. You can even make chips from them.
Stuffed courgette flowers – a typical Italian dish – are becoming more popular in in the UK. Female flowers bloom into the vegetable but the male flowers are there just to look pretty so utilise these buttercup-coloured flowers by stuffing them with soft cheese, then covering them in a light batter (such as a tempura) and deep-frying them – delicious, though not exactly figure-friendly.
Courgette facts
- Courgettes are, in fact, small marrows and are members of the same family as cucumbers and watermelons.
- Italians and Americans call them zucchinis.