| Scientific name: | Cucumis sativus |
| German name: | Salatgurke |
| Other names: | Cukes, Pickles |
| Classification: | Cucurbitales |
| Family: | Cucurbitaceae |
| Genus: | Cucumis |
| Season: | April - October |
The cucumber is often said to consist only of water and is therefore one of the less healthy vegetables. This, however, is an unjust assumption, as the cucumber contains many healthy minerals (e.g. chlorophyll, potassium) and its equally high water content is extremely healthy. Unfortunately, many systematic substances are added to the cucumber during industrial cultivation in order to increase the yield. However, this ensures that the healthiest part of the cucumber, the skin, has to be removed.
Bio gherkins can hardly be found on the shelves of supermarkets. Cultivation without chemical-synthetic pesticides and mineral fertilizers would be very time-consuming and yield much less per hectare. The pesticide residues must of course be below the legal maximum levels and do so, but in this way a certain amount of toxins is still consumed.
Quantity per 100 grams
| Calories | 14 |
| Fat content | 0,1 g |
| Saturated fatty acids | 0 g |
| Polyunsaturated fatty acids | 0 g |
| Monounsaturated fatty acids | 0 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 140 mg |
| Potassium | 0,9 mg |
| Carbohydrates | 2 g |
| Roughage | 0,1 g |
| Sugar | 1,9 g |
| Protein | 0,7 g |
The cucumber was grown 4000 years ago on the southern slopes of the Himalayas. In the Middle Ages (5th-15th century) it also came to Rome via Egypt and Greece, where Emperor Tiberius had it cultivated in his court gardens. Among experts, however, there is also the theory that the origin of the green cucumber lies in Africa or India. This is based on the fact that the cucumber was already present in southern Europe during the Middle Ages and was appreciated both by the Romans and the Greeks.
The Austrian Empress "Sissi" already knew about the skin-cleansing properties of the cucumber and nursed her tender complexion daily with some fresh slices that lay on her face.
In terms of nutritional physiology, the cucumber should be classified as high because it is one of the vegetables richest in bases and protects against intestinal cancer. Fresh cucumber juice combats frostbite, skin diseases and sunburn. Cucumber juice, which has been mixed with milk in equal parts, has a thirst-quenching, calming and antipyretic effect. Headaches can also be combated with cucumber slices if you put them on your forehead with the peeled side on for a while.
After excessive consumption of fatty foods or after a night of drinking, a glass of freshly squeezed cucumber juice can work wonders. Simply add a cucumber with a bowl to the mixer. Only if one leaves the bowl on it, the beverage develops its detoxifying and regenerating effect.
The cucumber appears botanically to be a really bizarre plant. Although it belongs to the pumpkin family, experts classify it as berries because its seeds are soft-shelled and embedded in the flesh.
A quality feature of the cucumber in the supermarket is its strength. A rubber-like consistency is a sign that the cucumber is older or has been stored incorrectly. This also affects the taste and therefore soft cucumbers should not be bought. Yellow spots should also be avoided.
Up to 2009, the EU issued a regulation specifying how many millimetres a cucumber could be curved to fall into class one or extra. This regulation was much smiled at and criticised. At some point it even became the epitome of Brussels over-regulation, with the result that the EU abolished it.
Since the skin of the cucumber contains many vitamins and nutrients, it is advisable to eat them along with the cucumber. However, cucumbers are now treated with so many sprays and chemicals that the unforeseeable negative consequences for the human body are more important. Therefore, ordinary cucumbers from the supermarket should always be peeled and washed, and only organic cucumbers or cucumbers from the farm shop (or from your own cultivation) should be eaten in the bowl.
Whoever frequently suffers from belching, abdominal pain or diarrhoea after cucumber consumption should remove the seeds of the cucumber during preparation, as these are difficult to digest and are usually the cause of complaints. A salad dressing with a lot of mustard also greatly reduces the negative effect.
Cucumbers are well chilled and keep for up to three weeks. However, they should not be stored together with fruits or vegetables that release ethylene, as the cucumber will quickly yellow and spoil. Ethylene is released, for example, by apples, tomatoes or peppers.