One of the things that is selling cheap at the market for the past few weeks is cucumbers. It’s a race and competition to sell cucumbers among vendors and we the consumers get to benefit. The other day I bought 5 pounds for Bds$2. Most of the vendors are selling 2 or 3 pounds of cucumbers for Bds$1. When not in abundance, you can pay as much as Bds$3 and Bds$4 for a pound of cucumbers.
For many, a meal is not complete without a bit of cucumber on the side. There are certain dishes where lettuce and tomatoes make no sense as an accompaniment, except if they are eaten separately as a salad. Cucumbers, on the other hand, can accompany almost anything. It’s always a good laugh when people pile their plates with food and point proudly, completely tongue-in-cheek, to the cucumbers on their plate and say, “See, I am eating vegetables!”
With a water content of 95 percent and only 16 calories in a cup (100 grammes) of sliced cucumbers, the melons rehydrate and offer nutrients found in their skin and seeds. When we remove the skin and seeds a lot of the nutrients are lost and all we’re left with is the water; that’s not a bad thing but there’s no harm only benefit when we eat the seeds and skin too. Cucumbers belong to the family of melon and squash and according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, when consumed, they provide 16 percent of our daily percentage value of Vitamin K. Vitamin K plays a key role in helping blood to clot, thus preventing excessive bleeding. Studies have also shown that Vitamin K works with calcium to assist with overall bone health.
Cucumbers are not only good for keeping us hydrated, they also have a cooling and soothing effect that can help decrease swelling and irritation when used topically. We’ve all seen images of women with slices of cucumbers covering their eyes. According to registered dietitian nutritionist, Megan Ware, the cucumber slices are placed over the eyes to decrease puffiness. You see, there is some science behind the pampering ritual. Here in the Caribbean, in addition to eating cucumbers with our meals simply because they are delicious, we associate the eating of cucumbers with helping to lower blood pressure. While many studies have linked it to helping lower blood pressure, it is done so within the context of eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables with moderate sodium (salt) intake. What this means is that we cannot eat foods high in sodium then eat cucumbers and think that it will automatically lower our blood pressure. Every little bit helps, so yes, continue to eat cucumbers in large amounts but do not count on them solely to control your blood pressure.
Buying
There are several varieties of cucumber but the qualities to look for are consistent from one variety to another. Cucumbers should feel heavy for their size, they should be firm and smooth to the touch (there are some varieties that are bumpy). The colour whether light or deep green or yellow should be bright and not dull. Do not buy cucumbers if the tips are wrinkled or if they give when you press any part of the body with your thumb.
Bitterness
I’m sure that you’ve cut up a cucumber to eat at some point only to find it bitter and unpalatable. Here’s a tip I learnt many years ago. When you slice off the top and bottom of the cucumber, use the piece from each respective end and rub it in circular motion over the cut cucumber. If the cucumber is bitter, you will see a bit of white foamy substance. Keep rubbing the cucumber until it stops producing the foam. Rinse the cucumber, pat dry and cut to your likeness.
In the past, you may have done the slicing and rubbing as I explained above and realized that the cucumber is still bitter, what this means then is that the cucumber was stressed in some way during the growing process. It could be that the plant was not given enough water, the temperature was too cold or too hot and those conditions impacted on the taste of the cucumber. In our case, given our climate, it would either be from being too hot or a lack of water – rainfall or otherwise.
‘Cukes’
How do you like your cukes (cucumbers)? Me, I can’t begin to count the ways. For the most part I like them sliced (skin on with seeds), without any dressing. I change things up every now and then; sometimes I dress it with a squeeze of lime juice, salt and freshly ground black pepper. For the most part these days, I slice, as I said, skin on with seeds and dress with only freshly ground black pepper.
When I want to feel fancy and have it as salad on its own, I make an Asian-style smashed cucumber salad – this is the whole cucumber smashed in a clean tea towel with a rolling pin then roughly chopped into large pieces and dressed with regular soy sauce, sesame oil, grated garlic, rice vinegar, salt, cilantro (coriander) and topped with toasted sesame seeds. So good!
Another thing I have been doing is making a cucumber sauce that I can use like a condiment, just as one does with a salsa. It is simple, easy to make and utterly delicious. Blend together chopped cucumbers (skin on with seeds), fresh lime or lemon juice, hot peppers, a small roughly chopped onion, a handful cilantro (coriander) along with salt to taste. Let sit for 10 minutes for the flavours to meld before using.
Cynthia
cynthia@tasteslikehome.org
