Why Your Grandmother Was Right to Spit Out Bitter Zucchini—and Why You Should Too

Why Your Grandmother Was Right to Spit Out Bitter Zucchini—and Why You Should Too

Your grandmother wasn’t being picky when she rejected bitter zucchini—she was performing an essential safety test. Bitter zucchini contains cucurbitacins, toxic compounds that cooking can’t destroy, and a single taste can reveal whether a vegetable is safe to eat.