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Cucumber

Vegetables · Fruiting vegetables

Cucumber

Cool, crisp, watery green gourd eaten raw in salads, raitas and sandwiches, or pickled.

Also called: kheera, salatalık, pepino, lebanese cucumber

111 recipes with it

Photo: Nikodem Nijaki, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-3.0)

What it is

Cucumbers are long green fruits of a gourd vine with thin skin, pale watery flesh and soft seeds. Long English types have thin skin and few seeds; short Lebanese/Persian types are crunchy and sweet; ridged or field cucumbers have thicker skin. Gherkins are small pickling types.

Cucumis sativus

How it’s used

  • Sliced into salads (shirazi, kachumber, Greek salad)
  • Grated into raita and tzatziki
  • Smashed and dressed in Chinese style
  • Pickled
  • In sandwiches and sushi

Characteristics

Taste
Mild, fresh and slightly sweet.
Texture
Crisp and very juicy.
When cooked
Releases water when salted; salt and drain before mixing into yogurt dips.
Sold as
fresh, fermented
Cooking uses
Usually eaten raw

Kinds in our pantry

Storage

Refrigerated. Refrigerate in the warmest part of the fridge, wrapped; very cold temperatures make it watery. Use cut cucumber quickly.

Diet, allergens and safety

No major allergens in typical versions.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
15 kcal
Protein
0.65 g
Carbohydrate
3.63 g
Fat
0.11 g
Fibre
0.5 g
Sugars
1.67 g

USDA FoodData Central: Cucumber, with peel, raw.

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

  • Zucchini — Young ones can be shaved raw; less juicy.
  • Jicama — Crunchy and fresh in salads; sweeter.

Related ingredients

Recipes with cucumber

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