The Cucumber
Created | Updated Aug 11, 2008
Defined as the edible fruit of the cucumber plant, the modern cucumber originates from the wild Cucumis sativus, a climbing plant of the gourd family, native to central and south Asia. Other members of this family include marrow, melons and pumpkin.
History
The cucumber has been cultivated from earliest times for its fruit, being known in ancient Mesopotamia as early as 2000 BC.
From The Bible (Numbers 11:5) one may deduce that cucumbers were freely available in ancient Egypt, even to the enslaved Israelites:
We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick.The ancient Egyptians ate cucumber flesh to keep them hydrated whilst traversing dry Egyptian deserts, but they would keep the skin intact so it could be used as a container to keep water cool.
The Israelites later came to cultivate the cucumber themselves, and Isaiah 1:81 gives a brief insight into the method of agriculture -
'And the Daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city'.The 'lodge' was a rough temporary shelter, often erected on legs, for the person who protected the produce (vines, cucumbers, gourds and the like) from birds, foxes and jackals or other thieves.
Alexander the Great is said to have brought cucumbers to Europe after his travels in eastern lands, whilst Julius Caesar brought them to Rome.
The Roman Emperor Tiberius had such a passion for cucumbers that he insisted on having them served at every meal. Both Columella and Pliny the Elder describe in their books how the Imperial gardeners ensured that Tiberius could have cucumbers every day of the year, even though they ripen naturally only during a few months in the summer. They grew their cucumbers in beds mounted on wheels and kept moving them around to follow the sun. As sheet glass had not been invented at this time, during the cold months they covered the cucumber beds with sheets of mica, an alumino-silicate mineral that can be cleaved into thin translucent sheets2. This was the earliest form of greenhouse and was known as a 'specularium' (from the Latin verb 'to look'.
It was probably the Romans who introduced the cucumber to Britain although the first mention of cucumbers in Britain is in a seed list prepared for the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1326. Cucumbers continued to be popular in Britain until the 15th Century when many orchards and gardens were abandoned and destroyed during the Wars of the Roses. However, they underwent a resurgence in popularity during the reign of Henry VIII, who brought Flemish gardeners over to plant salad greens and cucumbers for his Spanish first wife, Catherine of Aragon, who had enjoyed them in her homeland.
The cucumber was introduced into the Americas in the 15th Century by Christopher Columbus.
From about the 17th Century up until Victorian times in Great Britain, they were commonly known as 'cow-cumbers', and were regarded as being dangerous3 and 'fit only for consumption by cows', possibly due to their bitter taste and to a belief that they were responsible for causing stomach upsets. Indeed, in the 1760s, the essayist and poet, Samuel Johnson remarked that
'a cucumber should be well-sliced, and dressed with pepper and vinegar, and then thrown out as good for nothing'.Later on it was discovered that the fruits of unpollinated female flowers are sweet. Nowadays, most varieties have all-female flowers.
An earlier name for cucumbers was the Old English eorþæppla (pl.), the literal meaning of which was 'earth-apples'4.
The Plant
The stems climb by tendrils and bear rough, heart-shaped leaves and yellow flowers. The fruits may be long and tubular and range from about four inches to two feet long, and may have either a rough or a smooth dark-green skin.
The pulp is firm and pale green and contains tiny seeds at its centre.
The fruits of some small varieties are pickled young as gherkins, the word 'gherkin' deriving from the German word for cucumber, 'gurke'.
In temperate regions such as the United Kingdom cucumbers generally need to be grown in heated greenhouses with a rich soil and plenty of water, although they can be grown outdoors during the summer.
Cucumber Records
Weighing in at 59 pounds (26.8kg), the World's heaviest cucumber was grown in Australia in 1988.
The longest cucumber ever was 6'2" (nearly 188cm) long.
Purchasing Cucumbers
Of relevance to current concerns about the amount of food wasted in Britain through unnecessary purchases is the fact that one can purchase half-cucumbers in supermarkets. This has the added advantage that one can see the flesh and so can reach a judgement as to its possible shelf-life.
Although seemingly unnecessary and anathema to people who are environmentally aware, even whole common 'slicing cucumbers' bought at the supermarket are often either shrink-wrapped in plastic or waxed; the supermarkets arguing that this considerably increases shelf-life and thus, in the long run, reduces food wastage. (In the case of bananas, the supermarkets argue that shrink-wrapping prevents ethene5 from dissipating from the bananas, thus causing premature ripening of other fruits stored nearby). Shrink-wrapped cucumbers will stay fresh for about 14 days, although other methods of packaging, such as breathable box-liners, are now being introduced.
In 2008, a new variety of very thin-skinned cucumbers, dubbed the 'c-thru cucumber', became available in British supermarkets. A supermarket spokesperson said that these cucumbers do not have to be peeled (as if one would want to anyway!) and is thus 'the perfect solution for those who like their cucumber sandwiches with neither skin nor too much effort'.
As most of the nutrition is present in the skin and the c-thru cucumber is nearly 60% more expensive than the conventional variety, these would seem to be a bit gimmicky and a complete waste of money.
Serving Cucumber
Cucumber is generally served raw so that its crisp distinctive flavour can be enjoyed to the full. There is no need to peel cucumber, and thin slices served on cheese in a sandwich or on a cracker, together with a dash of vinegar makes a delicious snack.
Cucumber is also a basic ingredient of green and mixed salads, whilst Greek restaurants invariably offer a cucumber-enriched yoghourt dish known as sadziki.
Pimm's No. 1
Cucumber is also an ingredient of traditional Pimm's No.1 Cup, a tonic invented in London in the 1840's as an aid to digestion by James Pimm. It is now a very popular summer cocktail.
To make your own Pimm's Cup, add a slice per person of orange,lemon, apple and cucumber, a sprig of mint and two parts of lemonade to one part of Pimm's No.1
Nutritional Information
Although botanically a fruit because it contains the seeds to reproduce, cucumbers are typically grouped with the vegetables due to their use. The fruit is commonly harvested while still green, and eaten as a vegetable, either raw, cooked, or made into pickled cucumbers.
Containing about 96% water6, cucumbers are less nutritious than most fruits and vegetables. However, fresh cucumbers are still very good sources of vitamin C and the mineral molybdenum7. The cucumber is also a good source of vitamin A, potassium, manganese, folate, dietary fibre and magnesium.
The skin of the cucumber also contains phytosterols, which have been shown to lower blood cholesterol concentrations in animals, this being a good reason not to peel the cucumber before serving.
Cucumbers contain only about 10 Calories per 100g and thus make a popular addition to weight-losing diets.
Cucumbers in Folk Medicine
The cucumber has lengthy pedigree as a folk medicine, being used widely to reduce heat and inflammation.
As noted earlier, fresh cucumber juice is considered to be a great digestive aid as, acting as an anti-acid, it relieves heartburn. Cucumbers contain a proteolytic enzyme similar to pepsin which also aids digestion.
It is thus efficacious to people suffering from gastritis or stomach ulcers. It is also said to have a cleansing effect on the bowel.
Cucumber is also used to treat a wide range of conditions affecting the lungs and stomach, skin and chest problems as well as gout, arthritis and tapeworm.
A slice of cucumber is just the right size to place over tired eyes as its cooling effect relaxes the eye muscles and reduces any swelling.
Cucumber juice is said to provide relief from eczema.
'As Cool as a Cucumber'
This idiom has the meaning that such a person is 'calm and unruffled' or imperturbable. It derives presumably from the fact that cucumbers are cool to the touch. Indeed, the inside of a cucumber is said to be 20°C cooler than the ambient temperature.
It was first recorded in John Gay's (1685-1732) poem, 'A New Song of Old Similies':
'I'd be ... cool as a cucumber could see The rest of womankind.'
2Nowadays mica sheets are still used in place of glass, where high temperatures have to be withstood.3On 22nd September, 1663, Samuel Pepys wrote in his diary: 'This day Sir W. Batten tells me that Mr. Newhouse is dead of eating cowcumbers, of which the other day I heard of another, I think.'
4This, of course, is also the literal meaning of the French name for potatoes, 'pomme de terre'.5Ethene (older name, ethylene) is a gaseous plant-ripening hormone produced by higher plants.6This, presumably, was the insiration for Sir Compton Mackenzie to write, when describing An English Tea Party, 'You are offered a piece of bread and butter that feels like a dead handkerchief and sometimes, when cucumber is added to it, like a wet one',(Vestal Fire, 1927).7Molybdenum is a trace element required as a cofactor for several enzymes involved in repairing and making genetic material. It is found in a wide variety of foods, particularly peas, cauliflower and green leafy vegetables such as broccoli and spinach.
