The North American name for the British vegetable called a courgette is zucchini. Both names refer to the same summer squash, harvested while its fruit is still young and tender.
Zucchini belongs to the species Cucurbita pepo, which also includes several other squash varieties. The modern cylindrical zucchini was developed in northern Italy during the nineteenth century, after squash plants originating in the Americas had been introduced to Europe. The English word comes from Italian zucchino, a diminutive of zucca, meaning a gourd or squash.
In Britain and France, courgette is the usual term; North American English generally uses zucchini. South Africa commonly uses baby marrow as another name. A mature zucchini can become very large and develop a tougher rind, but cooks usually pick it at roughly 15–25 centimeters for a softer texture and less-developed seeds.
Although recipes treat zucchini as a vegetable, botanically its fruit is a pepo, a specialized type of berry produced from the flower’s swollen ovary. It is not the same as a cucumber, bell pepper, or eggplant, even though all are familiar garden and kitchen crops.