The courgette (Cucurbita pepo var. giromontiina) is a cultivated form of squash (Cucurbita), which was first grown by the Aztecs, Incas and Mayans in Central and South America. ‘Courgette’ comes from the French and is a diminutive of courge, meaning squash. The other common name for this healthy fruit – zucchini – is a diminutive of zucca, the Italian word for squash or pumpkin. Italy also has the widest selection of the cucumber-shaped fruit, which can grow to up to 40 cm in length and weigh up to 2 kg. The skin of a courgette may be white, cream-coloured or light to dark green, and some have light grey flecks or yellow stripes. There is even a bright yellow variety, called “Gold Rush zucchini” in the United States. You can also find mini or baby courgettes – small round fruit with a green to yellow skin. All types and varieties of courgette have white to pale green flesh that has a slightly nutty taste when eaten raw but is otherwise quite bland. The numerous small, soft seeds are edible, but many chefs prefer to remove them for aesthetic reasons.

Courgettes are harvested when still immature – i.e. when they have grown to a length of 15 to 20 cm – and are available all year round. Choose firm courgettes with smooth, undamaged skin; they will keep for up to three weeks in the salad compartment of the fridge, but mustn’t be exposed to temperatures below 10°C. Courgettes should also be stored away from tomatoes and other fruit since these would cause them to spoil rapidly.

Raw courgettes cut into thin sticks make a nice addition to salads, and they are also delicious steamed, sautéed, shallow- or deep-fried, or baked with a stuffing of minced meat, tomatoes and blue cheese or rice with julienne vegetables. Alternatively, they can be used to wrap a terrine or made into a delicately flavoured tart.

The bright yellow flowers of the courgette are a particular summer delicacy – and very hard to get hold of. Consider yourself lucky if you (or your friends!) have a garden to grow them in. Incidentally, it does no harm to the plant if the attached miniature fruits are cut off when the flowers are harvested – in fact quite the opposite is true: this stimulates the plant to produce new fruits. The male flower contains a stamen and is often eaten with a cheese stuffing (e.g. feta, cream cheese or mozzarella), while the female flower is particularly suitable for deep-frying.