Where did the marrow vegetable originate?

Answer 1

Marrow (the vegetable) is a name applied to several different variants of squash plants capable of producing large fruit. Marrow typically (depending on the region) is the mature fruit of the squash plant. If the fruit is picked while immature, it is known--depending on region and custom--as zucchini, courgette, summer squash (although these terms are considered to define very different squash products in other regions.) Marrow is a naturally-occurring derivative of squash specimens that came to Europe as part of the Great Exchange. It is generally accepted that Mesoamerica is the geographical origin of the forebears of all current squash types, which include pumpkins. Some plants now known as Marrow were first discovered in gardens in northern Italy toward the end of the 19th century and were presumably re-imported to North America by immigrants around 1920. Other squash plant variants that are likewise know as Marrow presumably occurred in other locations at various times since approximately the year 1600.