Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Marrow squash are generally pale to grayish green in color and tapered in shape (they
are bigger around at the flower end). Still preferred in the eastern Mediterranean and Lat-
in America, they tend to have denser flesh than zucchini and so hold their shape better in
soups and stews.
Cocozelle, which are mostly grown in Italy, are longer and thinner than zucchini and
slightly bulbous at the flower end. Whereas a zucchini is usually 31/a to 4'/2 times as long
as it is wide, cocozelle can be 8 or more times as long. The distinctions between the two
are more than in shape and color, though. Cocozelle tend to have a richer flavor than zuc-
chini.
But, of course, nothing is quite that simple. Squash are notoriously promiscuous. More
than one hundred specific varieties of zucchini are grown today, and many of them are
crosses between true zucchini and either marrow squash or cocozelle (sometimes both).
Knowing this background makes it easier to guess the qualities of the squash you see. If
it is dark green and extremely thin for its length, it probably has some cocozelle lineage
and a fairly strong flavor. If it is pale green and slightly bulbous, it is more likely to have
denser flesh.
In addition to these cylindrical green varieties, three other families of summer squash
are popular. Crookneck squash are yellow, with narrow, bent necks and bodies that be-
come quite bulbous to ward the blossom end. Straightneck squash are similar, except the
necks are not bent. (Just as all cylindrical green squash are sometimes lumped into one
family, so are the crooknecks and straightnecks.) Scalloped squash, which can be either
yellow or green, are flattened with scalloped edges.
All three families are mildly squashy and less richly flavored than good zucchini. Still,
until the advent of the zucchini, they were the most popular summer squash grown in the
United States, and quite a bit of regional allegiance to them lingers. Crooknecks are es-
pecially popular in the Southeast, while straightnecks are preferred in the Northeast. Sc-
allops, which once had pretty universal popularity, are beginning to make a commercial
comeback after having fallen from favor - though not in the range of varieties that were
once available.
The relatively new Golden Zucchini, released in 1973, is also becoming popular. And
at farmers' markets you may see round zucchini, such as the several Italian varieties called
Tondo and the Provencal Ronde de Nice. These are not true zucchini, but can be more ac-
curately described as "summer pumpkins." They have firm flesh and mild flavor similar
to a marrow squash.
