Zucchini, Vegetable Marrow, Pumpkin, Acorn Squash

Squashes, which are members of the gourd family, are native to the Americas. They take their name from a Narragansett Indian word meaning “something green”. Many different colors, shapes and sizes of squash are grown, mostly in North America, but for the cook the important division is between summer (or soft-skinned) and winter (or hard-skinned) varieties.

Soft-skinned summer squash are green in the sense that they are picked before they are fully mature. The archetype is the little zucchini with its mild flesh, tender enough to be eaten raw. Zucchini is grown worldwide, and is at its best when less than 6 in/15 cm long. In Italy and France the flowers are often stuffed or deep-fried in batter. American summer squash include the yellow or green crookneck and straightneck, the pale pattypan, and the fatter scalloped squash.