Ingredient Information

Cucumbers

Although cucumbers are felt to have originated in the far east, the majority of cucumbers sold in America today are the American Slicing variety. Most of these have a thicker skin, less flavor ,and more water content than other cucumber types. They are not all that good for eating fresh in salads or on sandwiches, but they do make very good soup. They usually have a heavy wax coating, and the skin of these is best peeled and discarded.

Smaller cucumbers are milder and sweeter. As the cucumber grows and the seeds grow they become bitter. When buying larger cucumbers, seed them.

The other ubiquitous cucumber in American markets is known as the Hothouse cucumber. These are also sold as European Hothouse, Dutch Hothouse and sometimes Burpless cucumbers. They are long and thin cucumbers with a very thin skin and few seeds (which is why they are called “burpless”). They are usually sweeter than the American slicing variety.

4 ounces cucumber = 15 calories, 0 fat, 0g sat fat, 0g mono fat, <1g protein, 3g carbohydrates, 2mg sodium, 0mg cholesterol