The zucchini (pronounced /zuːˈkiːni/) or courgette (/kʊǝrˈʒɛt/ or [kɔːˈʒɛt]) is a small summer squash. Along with some other squashes, it belongs to the species Cucurbita pepo. Zucchini is the more common name in North America, Australia, Germany and Italy (zucchina/e), while courgette is more commonly used in Britain, New Zealand, Ireland, France, the Netherlands and South Africa. Zucchini can be yellow, green or light green, and generally have a similar shape to a ridged cucumber, though a few cultivars are available that produce round or bottle-shaped fruit. In a culinary context, zucchini is treated as a vegetable, which means it is usually cooked and presented as a savory dish or accompaniment. Botanically, however, the zucchini is an immature fruit, being the swollen ovary of…