Today we would like to talk to you about cucumber. More specifically of cucumber curiosities. Because, although many do not like it, this fruit (although others consider it a vegetable) has a lot of charm and some curiosities that can attract a lot of attention.
So we have compiled a few so that you know a little more about cucumbers and, above all, so that, if you do not try it, you can see what you are missing.
How is cucumber known in other places?
In Spain, we know cucumber as cucumber. But this name is not the one used throughout the world. In fact, in some countries they call it something else.
How? Well, for example, in Honduras they refer to him as Pepinillo (In Spain some too, but usually they are the smallest).
Is cucumber a fruit, vegetable or legume?
One of the curiosities of the cucumber is the fact of not knowing if it is a fruit, a vegetable, a legume or a rare bug.
But the truth is that it is a fruit. And why a fruit? Well, because botanically we are talking about a seed from which the flower of the plant would grow. And as it contains seeds, it is said to be a fruit.
Now, we are not going to deny that, culinary speaking, cucumber is considered more of a vegetable.
Some people even speak of it as a legume.
The first 'cucumber' in history
According to some archaeologists, cucumber is a very ancient fruit. But a lot, a lot. The Investigations they have carried out have placed cucumbers in Burma, specifically in 7000 BC.
After Burma it went to China, where instead of being a wild plant, it was domesticated and began to be consumed, around 5000 BC It continued its course passing to India and Egypt, in 2000 BC and shortly after to the ancient Galilee, Rome, Spain (it is known that Christopher Columbus arrived in Haiti in 1494 to be cultivated and that is why it spread throughout America).
World cucumber day
No, we are not making it up. The cucumber has a world day of celebration, on June 14.
The first time it was held was in 2011 by English farmers and since that year a well-known gin brand caused it to spread. So if you are a lover of cucumbers you have to celebrate their day.
There is a «Cucumber» in Spain
In this case we are not referring specifically to a type of cucumber, or to a specific fruit. But to a town. It is another of the curiosities of the cucumber of which very few have any idea.
This dates from 1576 and was called Pepino because in that year "one of the seven ancient peasant heirs who lived in that place was called Alonso Pepino."
And another 'Pepino' in Bolivia
We go now until some areas of Bolivia, such as La Paz, to meet a carnival and cartoon character, the Cucumber, who is the one who assumes the blame. "Cucumber is to blame, his is the wawa."
This phrase is the typical one that is thrown because there they have the habit of blaming Cucumber for the lust and promiscuity that occurs in carnivals, to the point that they consider that the children that are generated in carnivals are his fault.
How many varieties of cucumber are there?
The truth is that there are many varieties. In the 400th century, and in the United States alone, there were already more than XNUMX different, so we can say that there will be more than a thousand. However, not all are known. The most famous and consumed are:
- Japanese cucumber: Characterized by having a dark green skin, being thin and elongated.
- Canned cucumber: What we commonly call "gherkin" in Spain. They are smaller than normal cucumbers, and somewhat thinner as well.
- Common cucumber: Very similar to Japanese, and Persian (which we will talk about below). It is used for both preserves and salads.
- Persian cucumber: It is one of the medium ones because it can be 10 to 13 centimeters long.
- Dutch cucumber: This is one of the largest there is, and can reach 40 centimeters in length.
Is there a Guinness Record for cucumbers?
Well, the truth is that yes, there are. But on the Internet we find a lot of data. For example, The heaviest salad cucumber, at 1978 kilos, is said to have been grown in 5896 in Texas. However, in 2021 in the Canary Islands there is news of a cucumber that has weighed about eight kilos. And a few years earlier, in 2015, in the UK, David Thomas announced that he had the largest cucumber in the world at 12,9 kilos.
Regarding the length, According to the Guinness Records, the longest in the world on record is 1,07 meters. But in 1976, in Hungary, a Vietnamese variety of giant cucumber reached 1.82 meters. If we approach a closer date, in 2013, in Malaga, Miguel Cabello announced that he had a 1,27 meter cucumber.
So, although we really know which one is the heaviest and largest, there are references to a lot of pepinazos.
In fact, there is another record, that of a man, Ashrita Furman, who in 2013 in New York was able to cut 27 cucumbers with a sword in his mouth.
Did you know that cucumber has many more uses apart from eating it?
Another of the curiosities of the cucumber is that, In addition to serving to eat it, it has many other applications on a day-to-day basis. One of the best known is at the level of beauty. Many creams use cucumber as one of their ingredients, but also to make homemade masks or simply to place some slices on your eyes to relieve puffiness in the area. And much more.
But maybe what you don't know is that it can also be used as a replacement for 3 in 1 (the oil product for doors and hinges), or to combat a hangover or even to take away bad breath. At the DIY level, beauty, health ... Due to the properties of cucumber it has become one of the elements that you can use often in the absence of others (and sometimes with much more efficiency).
As you can see, there are many curiosities about cucumbers, do you know any more? We would love to discover it.