Courgette is also known as zucchini in the USA, but is also known as marrow and summer squash. Courgettes are in the Cucurbitaceae family of plants which includes cucumber, melon and watermelon.

Courgettes are grown from the plant Cucurbita pepo, a subspecies of this plant also grow pumpkins and gourds. They are rarely documented as causing food allergies.

For those that do experience allergies after consuming courgette the allergens responsible are thought to be plant profilins.

When pickled, courgettes/zucchini are high in sulphites. Sulphites are inorganic salts used in preservations and have the potential to cause symptoms of food intolerance to those sensitive to sulphites, this food intolerance is more common in asthmatics. An improvement in symptoms can be made with a change to a low sulphite diet.

Courgette is a food high in salicylates. Salicylates have the potential to cause worsening of asthma, swelling, itching and hives as well as food intolerance symptoms in people who are sensitive to salicylates.

Courgette is one of the few vegetables to contain a moderate amount of lectins, another cause of food intolerance. Cooking foods with lectins makes them more digestible and can reduce the symptoms of food intolerance.

You can read more about Food Intolerances on the dedicated Food Intolerance Page.

Allergy to courgette has been linked to Latex Food Syndrome, this is caused by the body confusing the proteins it encounters in food to that of latex proteins to which it is already sensitised.

Courgette allergy is also linked to Pollen Food Allergy Syndrome for people who suffer from grass allergies. This is where is the body confuses allergens it is sensitised in grass to those it finds in foods.

Those with a sensitivity to latex may have linked allergies to foods which contain high levels of chitinase, like avocado, chestnuts, corn (maize), kiwi, papaya, pomegranate and tomatoes.

If suffering from Pollen Food Allergy Syndrome you may suffer allergy to grass pollen, pumpkins, cucumber and melons.

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