Okay, let’s settle this once and for all. You’ve probably stared at a shiny green zucchini in the grocery store and wondered, “Wait, is this thing a squash?” It’s a question that has baffled home cooks and garden enthusiasts for decades — right up there with “Is a tomato a fruit?” (Spoiler: yes, but don’t tell your pasta sauce).
The short answer is yes, zucchini is absolutely a type of squash. But hold your horses — it’s not just any squash. It belongs to the summer squash family, which is the cool, laid-back cousin of the hard-shelled winter squashes like butternut and acorn. Think of it this way: if butternut squash is the serious, sweater-wearing librarian, zucchini is the goofy friend who shows up to the barbecue in flip-flops.
