English Cucumber

Name: English cucumber, also called long English, seedless or hothouse cucumber (Cucumis sativus) — a long, slender, thin-skinned cucumber, often sold wrapped in plastic, with few seeds and a mild, sweet flavour.

Description

The English cucumber is a type of greenhouse cucumber, developed in Britain and the Netherlands for growing under glass, where it can be grown year-round in controlled conditions. Their flesh is crisp and seedless, and the skin is thin and tender, and is not bitter, so it does not need peeling.

Because the skin is thin and tender, it is sold wrapped in plastic to protect it and keep it from drying out, rather than waxed. It is sometimes sold as “burpless,” since breeding has reduced the compounds that cause gas in some people.

Main nutrition value

English cucumber is very low in calories and provides vitamin K, vitamin C and a little potassium, with a high water content.

How best to be consumed

English cucumber is eaten raw, skin and all.

1. Slice into salads, sandwiches and the classic British afternoon tea cucumber sandwich.
2. Use in tzatziki, raita, gazpacho and cold soups.
3. Cut into sticks for dips, or into ribbons for salads.
4. Add to water for a refreshing drink.
5. Store in the fridge in its wrapping, where it keeps for about a week.

Overconsumption could cause…

English cucumber is safe and healthy in food amounts.

1. Toxic squash syndrome from cucurbitacins, natural compounds that make a squash or gourd intensely bitter, and which can cause severe stomach upset, hair loss and even death in rare cases, so always taste a little raw and discard the whole fruit if it is very bitter.
2. Gas or burping in some people.
3. Possible effects on warfarin and similar blood-thinning medicines because of the vitamin K content.
4. Plastic wrap waste, and a short shelf life if cut.

GroupsSquash and GourdsGourd family (Cucurbitaceae)Low fatLow sodiumRich in vitamin KFresh

Related foodsCucumberPickling CucumberBitter Gourd / Bitter MelonZucchini / CourgetteChayoteYellow Squash

Wikipedia — Cucumber, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucumber