When European explorers came to the Americas, squash was one of the three main foods the Native Americans used, together with beans and corn. They had never seen them before, and they thought they were melons.
Squash seeds have been found in Archeological digs in Mexico, dating back between 9000 and 4000 B.C. Christopher Columbus brought squash seeds back to Europe during his explorations. The Zucchini as we know it however wasn’t used in this form probably until the late 1800’s, in Italy probably near Milan, because many of the varieties are named after cities.