Caused by Cucurbitacins: Zucchini poisoning occurs due to a natural compound called cucurbitacin, which can make the vegetable taste bitter and cause symptoms like nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
Why It Happens: Stress conditions during growth, such as extreme weather, cross-pollination with wild squash, or over-maturity, can increase cucurbitacin levels in zucchinis.
Identify Bitter Zucchini: Always taste a small piece of raw zucchini before cooking. If it tastes unusually bitter, discard it to avoid the risk of poisoning.
Grow Carefully: If you grow your own zucchini, avoid saving seeds from hybrid or wild varieties, as they are more likely to produce bitter, toxic fruit.
Buy from Reliable Sources: Purchase zucchini from trusted supermarkets or farmers' markets to minimize the chance of getting bitter or toxic produce.
Cooking Doesn’t Help: Heat does not destroy cucurbitacin, so cooking a bitter zucchini won’t make it safe to eat. Discard bitter ones immediately.
Listen to Your Body: If you experience symptoms like nausea, diarrhea, or stomach pain after eating zucchini, seek medical attention, as cucurbitacin poisoning can occasionally cause severe effects.