Health That's why we should eat more zucchini

Zucchini for the light cuisine

(aid) - In late summer there are zucchini from local cultivation. The Mediterranean vegetables with the mild nut aroma did not prevail until the 1970s in German kitchens. Meanwhile, the zucchini is so popular that every household consumes an average of one kilogram a year. Since it has no distinctive taste, it can be perfectly combined with other vegetables such as eggplant, tomato and pepper.

Zucchini tastes raw in the salad, cooked, roasted and grilled. The fruits are also ideal for light cooking, as they contain very little fat and just 20 kilocalories per 100 g due to their high water content. They are rich in potassium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamins A and C. A special delicacy is the yellow zucchini flowers, which are good for frying and filling.

Zucchini originally came from Central America and only arrived in Europe with immigrants in the 17th century. The name derives from the Italian word for pumpkin "zucca". Because the zucchini belongs to the cucurbits and is botanically a berry. It does not have to be green and cucumber-shaped. The zucchini are available in many variations - in black, yellow and light green, also cylindrical, mackerel and white spots. Zucchini can become as huge as a pumpkin. With increasing size but the aroma is lost. Therefore, they are harvested half-ripe with a length of 10 to 40 cm, when the shell is still tender and soft.

When shopping, small fruits with a smooth skin that does not yield when pressed are the best choice. In the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator, the courgettes last up to two weeks. Before preparation, the vegetables must not be peeled or gutted. Simply wash under running water and remove stems and flowers.

If the fruit tastes unusually bitter, it must not be eaten, warns the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment. Depending on the variety and growth conditions, the plant forms bitter substances, which in higher concentrations may affect health. The rare cases of intoxication in recent years were mostly caused by replanted zucchini from their own garden. Heike Kreutz, aid