ZUCCHINI

FOR SO LONG, ZUCCHINI WASN’T JUST A UBIQUITOUS plant that grew out of control in the summer. It was a symbol of Mediterranean cooking and represented a very different way of eating. Zucchini is a pillar of Provence, is deeply connected to Greece, and is inseparable from Italian cooking. In other words, zucchini thrives in the warm climate where civilization began. When you think about it that way, this delicate squash becomes something to celebrate. There are so few vegetables that are at once so tender and so immediately accessible. Compared to winter squash, say, which involves peeling and roasting and scraping, getting at the heart of this vegetable is easy and immediate.

Its skin is soft as a baby’s, especially when just picked. Slice into a super fresh zucchini and see the beads of moisture that result—the squash stores an amazing amount of flavor. Fresh zucchini is a treasure. Whether it’s yellow crookneck or pattypan, whether you eat it raw, lightly seasoned, or completely cooked, its soft flavors are inextricably linked to the sun, to summer. This vegetable relies on surrounding flavors to truly express its virtues. Zucchini is a call to arms, a blank canvas. Zucchini encourages us to cook.