There are green and yellow zucchini plus their dradle-shaped, relatives -- petite and delicate Patty Pans. But the squash family's over-sized cugini, the cucuzza, might well be the mother of all ...

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — If you’ve never heard of a “gagootz,” don’t worry — Staten Island is here to enlighten you. This quirky term refers to the Italian squash known as cucuzza, a long, green gourd ...

Cucuzza Italian squash can be intimidating because it grows to such lengths, but it is as easy to manage as any summer squash. It has a delightfully mild flavor that goes will in any number of dishes.

My brother, John, arrived on my doorstep with a roughly 2 1/2-foot-long cucuzza. He and my brother Michael both grow the Italian squash in their gardens, so I've eaten the snake-like creatures -- ...