Dante Zucchini

In 1306 Dante began writing the Commedia, which was to become the center of the western

literary canon for a couple hundred years until around 1600 when Shakespere surrounded all.

Dante had been exiled for life from his home town Florence where he had allied himself with the

wrong political party. (Dante was a member of the white Guelphs and they were overwhelmed

by the black Guelphs in an ongoing, bloody, murderous, internecine struggle for power over who

held the right views of the world and who had the proper taste of religion.)

Christophor Columbus will not sail for another 200 years, so we know Dante did not eat zucca

(Italian for squash, one of the exotic new vegetables from Mesoamerica.) The story goes that

zucca arrived in Italy soon after it was first tasted and by the time of the Renaissance it was on

menus all over the country. The Italians as they immigrated to the Americans in the 1800’s

brought this native back to its home country with 300 years of breeding and enhancements.

Today the zucchini is a favorite culinary summer staple almost in all corners of the world.

The Italians of course revere Dante and they also celebrate zucchini in their meals and menus.

And ---- Like in Dante’s time, they take very seriously their perspective on taste, now it is on the

taste and look of their chosen zucchini. I have been told that half of Italy will only eat the very

light green zucchini and the other half of Italy will only eat the very dark green zucchini. And to

bring up the gastronomic topic of cooking and eating zucchini when you are in a gathering with

the opposing party can lead to distressing consequences, loud screaming matches which verge

on physical brawling.

We are growing both and they do have different flavors - I have a preference already, which I

will not reveal in an unknown crowd. Not only do we have the light green and the dark green

zucchini we also have zephyr yellow squash (which has its own unique taste) You need to do

your own taste test and write in the margins of your copy of the Commedia which you prefer.

There are literally thousands of ways to cook and prepare these squashes.

Midway in the journey of our life

I came to myself in a dark wood,

For the straight way was lost.

Ah, how hard it is to tell

The nature of that wood, savage, dense and harsh--

The very thought of it renews my fear!

Canto 1, 1-6