Zucchini have a mild, fruity and slightly nutty taste. However, if the zucchini tastes bitter, you should definitely keep your hands off it.
If you haven't experienced it yourself, you can hardly believe it. The delicious, slightly fruity and nutty zucchini can sometimes taste bitter. But be careful, they are poisonous. In 2015, a man even died from poisoning caused by a bitter zucchini. Although this is the only registered case so far, the fact is that the bitter taste of a zucchini indicates toxins.
Here we inform you about the formation of these toxins and recommend effective precautions.
Where does the bitter taste of zucchini come from?
The bitter taste is due to deposited cucurbitacins. Zucchini and closely related plants such as pumpkins and cucumbers produce these bitter substances to protect them from predators. The enrichment is significantly higher in wild varieties than in cultivated varieties and increases with the size of the courgettes.
What precautions can be taken?
» Harvest your courgettes when they are still relatively small. Not only because of the poison, but also because of the much better taste.
» Never cultivate courgettes together with ornamental squashes. The deposition of cucurbitacins in ornamental gourds has not been reduced by breeding because the plants are not intended for consumption. Due to the close relationship between zucchini and ornamental pumpkins, the plants can crossbreed. If you use the seeds of your zucchini as seed for next year, the likelihood of more cucurbitacins being deposited increases.
» Never expose your courgettes to long periods of drought. Heat and drought stress favors the accumulation of toxins.
» If you want to rule out any risk, you should only buy seeds from specialist garden shops. The first generation courgettes are certainly free of cucurbitacins.
What to do with bitter zucchini?
If you notice a bitter taste, you must discard all of the courgettes. Composting is safe. Cucurbitacins are completely broken down in the compostand will not get back into your garden if you spread compost in the beds. However, heat does not destroy the bitter substances. Therefore, contaminated courgettes remain toxic even when cooked.
What are the symptoms after eating?
Typical reactions of the human body to cucurbitacins include nausea and retching. If you notice these symptoms after eating zucchini, you should consult a doctor immediately. However, it is far better if you stop eating at the first sign of the bitter taste.
However, if you ignore the bitter taste and eat larger quantities of contaminated zucchini, you are exposing yourself to serious he alth risks. In the extremely rare extreme case, poisoning by cucurbitacins can even lead to death.