A variety of summer squash with dark green skin and lighter green stripes, used as a vegetable in cooking.
From Italian 'cocozza' (pumpkin or squash), with the diminutive suffix '-elle' suggesting a smaller version. The word traveled through Mediterranean trade networks into English.
Cocozelles are one of the few vegetables with an authentically Italian name that English speakers actually use—most zucchini varieties got Italian names, but this striped beauty kept its old-world charm.
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