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Courgette
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Identity Card
Name: Courgette (Cucurbita pepo-Cucurbitaceae)
Type of Product: The fruit of a herbaceous plant originating in central and southern America, it is cylindrical or round in shape with a dark green skin with streaks or points, or even light green or yellow. The flesh is always white, on the firm side with a greater or lesser amount of water.
Area of production: Cultivated throughout Italy. |
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Courgettes are the fruit from a plant originating in central and southern America which grows in a warm, temperate climate on sunny terrain that is sheltered from wind. It has therefore found its natural habitat in a large number of places throughout Italy. Their real season is late spring-summer, but they can now be found on the market all year round thanks to importing from other countries and greenhouse cultivation. In order to get the most out of the courgette's nutritional properties, it is however recommendable to let them mature naturally.
In addition to presenting a very low calorie count (14 calories per 100 grams), this vegetable has an extremely high potassium content (200 mg per 100 grams) as well as vitamin E, which helps to counteract the action of free radicals, folic acid and vitamin C. They therefore have beneficial effects on the body, guaranteeing an anti-inflammatory, laxative, detoxing and diuretic action. The best way to take advantage of these nutrients is to eat the courgette raw, so that the heat does not destroy its properties.
A number of different varieties of courgette are grown throughout the peninsula, from the Striata d'Italia variety which is elongated and with characteristic streaks, to the Verde di Milano, with very firm flesh and the Faentina, which is club shaped and a pale colour. Local varieties include the Rigata pugliese, the Veneziana or the Bianca Sarda.
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Courgettes are a real all-purpose vegetable: their relatively neutral flavour renders them excellent as an accompaniment to many dishes as well as making a light sauce.
Before preparing them, it is however necessary to choose them carefully, preferably buying small and thin ones (which do not contain seeds) that are shiny and hard, free from bruising and of a certain consistency. They should then be washed thoroughly, removing the ends and, in the case of the prickly varieties, peeling them. It should be remembered that they are vegetables that perish quickly and do not last more than three or four days in the fridge: it is therefore best to eat them immediately.
In Italian cooking, the courgette yields its best grilled in slices, or sliced and preserved in oil with parsley and garlic. It is also excellent diced and stewed, as well as eaten raw, of course. It accompanies countless meat, fish, egg and cheese-based dishes, as a sauce for pasta or in more extravagant recipes (such as courgettes stuffed with couscous).
The courgette plant also offers another ingredient which is typical of Italian cuisine: the courgette flower. These flowers grow both on the top of the plant and on the stem. They are used for making quiches, patties, risottos and anything else that the imagination can bring to mind.
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