Cucumber

A cucumber is the long, thin, edible produce of the vine of the Cucumis sativus plant. Botanically, the cucumber is considered a fruit. However, it is usually treated as a vegetable in the ways it is prepared and consumed. Cucumbers have been cultivated and eaten for more than three thousand years. They may have been among the first plants to be cultivated in a greenhouse-type structure, and they remain a popular choice for contemporary home gardeners. Although they are up to 96 percent water, cucumbers contain many nutrients and are low in calories. They are among the most common foods to be pickled.

Background

The word cucumber comes from the Latin word cucumerem, which was the name applied to both the plant and its produce. This became the Old French cocombre, which then passed into English. Various spellings have been used over time, including several in early English translations of the Bible.

Although the cucumber is commonly thought of as a vegetable, botanists consider the cucumber a fruit. Fruits are defined as the parts of plants that grow from flowers. Vegetables are the leaves, stems, roots, flower buds, and other plant parts besides the flower. Cucumbers—along with pumpkins, squash, corn, avocados, and tomatoes—grow from their plants' flowers, so they are all considered fruits.

While botanists consider cucumbers fruits, most people think fruits are sweet and vegetables are savory, making vegetables more suitable to uses involving savory seasonings and flavorings. In common usage, therefore, cucumbers are usually considered vegetables. Cucumbers fit another generalization that pertains to vegetables: in most cases, vegetables have fewer calories than fruits per serving. Half a cup of cucumber contains just eight calories.

It is believed that the cucumber was first identified in the Himalayas or India and spread throughout the region. Both the Greeks and Romans grew cucumbers. Roman emperor Tiberius was supposedly so fond of cucumbers that his gardeners developed portable greenhouses. They also developed an early prototype of the cold frame—which contemporary gardeners use to begin crops earlier in the season—so the emperor could have cucumbers at all times.

The ancient Egyptians grew and ate cucumbers, too. Evidence indicates that they made an alcoholic beverage from cucumbers by liquefying the inside of the fruit and burying it for a certain amount of time. Cucumbers of that era were somewhat different from modern cucumbers, however, because horticulturists' influence and natural selection have led to changes in the plant and its produce.

Cucumbers were known in Europe in the Middle Ages and were carried to other lands during the Age of Exploration from the fifteenth through the eighteenth centuries. Christopher Columbus brought cucumbers to the New World, including Haiti and the Americas. Traders and explorers carried them inland in North America and introduced them to the indigenous people they encountered there.

In addition to eating them, people used cucumbers for medicinal purposes at least as far back as the 1600s. Rumors of people dying from eating cucumbers led to a brief period during which they were shunned, but physicians recognized a unique property of cucumbers. The inside of a cucumber can be up to twenty degrees cooler than the outside; for a time, some physicians treated patients with fevers by resting them on beds made of sliced cucumbers. This is said to be the origin of the phrase "cool as a cucumber."

Overview

Cucumbers grow on two types of plants: vines and bushes. Bush plants are more compact, while vines trail and may need to be trained up trellises or poles. The plants prefer hot conditions with plenty of rain or water. Young plants or seeds are placed in the ground after all threat of frost is gone, and they are set at least 12 inches (30 centimeters) apart. If vine plants will not be trellised, the distance between plants should be increased.

The two types of cucumbers are slicing and pickling. Both types are harvested when they reach the desired size, which may range from a few inches to nearly 1 foot (30 centimeters) in length, though longer fruits often have a bitter taste. Cucumbers can be refrigerated for about a week or pickled for longer storage.

Historical records suggest that cucumbers have been pickled for almost as long as they have been grown. Pickled cucumbers are mentioned in the Bible, in the works of Shakespeare, and in ancient Egyptian history. The fact that pickled cucumbers do not spoil easily made them a common food on many land and sea journeys in the past, and they were cold cellar staples for people in both Europe and the New World. The word pickle is of European origin, coming from either the German pokel or the Dutch pekel, both of which mean "salt" or "brine" and refer to the solutions often used to make pickles.

Scientists have identified several potential health benefits of cucumbers. In the twenty-first century, researchers have determined that cucumbers contain cucurbitacins, flavonoids, triterpenes, and lignans. These substances are known as phytonutrients, or plant-based substances that can protect health or prevent disease. The phytonutrients in cucumbers fight inflammation, or the body's often painful response to an injury, irritant, or infection. They have antioxidant properties that protect cells from damage and appear to have properties that make cells cancer resistant.

Cucumbers contain very little in the way of carbohydrates, cholesterol, fat, or sodium. They do provide vitamins C, K, and A as well as magnesium, potassium, and manganese. Cucumbers also have a high water content, so consuming them can help hydrate the body.

Bibliography

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