The zucchini(species Cucurbita pepo) is a member of the plant family Cucurbitaceae, which also includes squash, melon, cucumber, and pumpkin. Zucchini originally comes from Central and South America, where inhabitants have been eating it for several thousand years. However the zucchini most people know today is a variety that was developed in Italy and then brought to North America around 1920 by Italian immigrants. In the U.K. and some other countries, zucchinis are called courgettes