In the last episode of The Sopranos, Tony asks Carmela, "Where's googootz?" "Googootz" is an Italian term of endearment; Tony was referring to his son, AJ. "Googootz" is also the Italian slang for "zucchini," and refers to a squash-like vegetable that Italians and Italian-Americans grow called cucuzza.
Cucuzza is an Italian summer vegetable that is eaten and prepared like a zucchini. Unlike zucchini, it's not a true squash; it is a gourd. It grows long and is shaped like a cucumber. It has pale green skin and white flesh. Both flesh and seeds are edible; the skin must be peeled off. When dried, it can be made into a drinking gourd. When selecting a cucuzza for cooking, it should be firm and glossy, with no soft spots. Cucuzza is also known as calabash, suzza melon, zuzza, New Guinea bean, and Tasmania bean. They grow up to 27 inches long and 6 inches wide.
It can be prepared the same way as zucchini; baked, fried, stuffed, cooked in stews, and stir-fried. It can also be baked into spice cakes. Here are some cucuzza recipes from Recipezaar.
I've actually never seen one of these. Have you?
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I've never heard of the Italian cucuzza, but this sure looks like Filipino "opo" to me. In Filipino cooking, it's used in hearty soups. A festival in L.A. used to hold a contest for the farmer that grows the longest opo!
This looks like what we call a bottle gourd in India (Lauki in Hindi). I hate it's texture! It feels like cotton in my mouth, and not in a good way. If I never eat this another time, it'll be too soon.
I love cucuzza! My mom's side is very Italian and she pronounces it "GuhGuhtza" I've seen them at fancier groceries and some farmer's market type places before, though rarely. My mom slices it like zucchini and cooks it down good with tomatoes and seasonings. SO yummy. Reminds me of mirlitons more than zucchini.
kain na tayo, you are partially correct! Both opo and cucuzza are in the bottle gourd/calabash family, scientific name "Lagenaria siceraria."
But opo and cucuzza are different varieties. Opo is shorter and thicker, cucuzza is longer. There are other varieties of the "Lagenaria siceraria" family that come out hourglass-shaped.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calabash
@kain na tayo, you are partially correct! Cucuzza and opo are in the same family of bottle gourds/calabash, scientific name "Lagenaria siceraria," but different varieties. Opo is shorter and thicker. Some varieties of "Lagenaria siceraria" have an hourglass shape.
I think I ate this cooked in a tagine in Morocco. Although the skin wasn't removed (and wasn't a problem--with the long cooking, it was as soft as zucchini skin).
We have these at our farmer's market, but I was never quite sure what they were or how to use them! Cool - can't wait to try some of the recipes!
My Italian grandfather grows these in his back yard! He's fashioned a trellis so they grow hanging down over his tomatoes. My grandmother cuts them up into largish chunks and boils them with salt, pepper and a good bit of the basil they grown on the side of the house and serves it in the juice like a very light soup. YUM.
We call this lauki in India as a previous post points out. If it's cottony then it's not fresh. The inside seeds and any spongy parts have to be discarded. And of course it has to be peeled too.
We make savory dishes to be enjoyed with rotis and a sweet call halva too.
My in-laws call it dudhi (instead of lauki), and they grow it in their own garden, so we always get it as fresh as you can get it. My saasu makes a nearly mind-blowing saak with this and chana daal. It's especially good with debru!
Neat post! I've always heard it pronounced more like coo-gootz. My grandfather used to call me and my cousins that when we were little, and while it is a term of endearment, it's also a light-hearted way of saying 'dummy'. hehe