It’s Cucumber Time: Eight Ways to Enjoy This Vegetable

Originally from India but transformed for a long time into a universal product, the cucumber is a gourd whose particularity is that about 90% of its weight is processed only with water. If we add to this its various properties and nutrients, in addition to its characteristic aroma and flavor, the cucumber becomes a highly recommended food. Much more in summer, when the heat gets worse.

Traditionally, in Chile, the cucumber is eaten peeled. In many old cookbooks, it is even recommended to scrape its outer meat lengthwise with a fork, so that later, when slicing, the edge of each of its slices is serrated.

This is very good, but it should be noted that the skin of the cucumber is not only completely edible, but also full of fiber and vitamins. Therefore, it is better to wash the cucumbers well before consuming them and then cut or chop them without peeling them.

Do you want to decorate them somehow? Using a vegetable peeler, you can remove a few slices of skin. A yes, a no, so that the edges of each slice have two colors on their edges. In the end, to dissect more or less, everything is a matter of taste.

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Cucumber can be combined very well with tomatoes, onions, avocados, beets, lettuce, corn and much more. However, a simple salad that contains only cucumber can be very good.

Just take a medium cucumber, wash it very well, then dry it and cut it into very thin slices. These are seasoned with the following ingredients and in this strict order: salt, freshly ground black pepper, olive oil and sherry vinegar. Stir and a lady salad is ready. As they say, less is more.

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Probably the most famous of the cucumber-based salads is what is often called Greek: it contains cucumber, tomato and onion. However, a real Greek salad is a little more complex, as the following recipe for two people shows.

Greek salad

—1 medium cucumber, washed and dried

—2 medium tomatoes, washed and dried

—½ peeled red onion

—½ cup of green olives

—1 green bell pepper, cut into strips

—150 grams of feta cheese, cut into small cubes

—Salt, pepper, oregano, olive oil and vinegar

First, cut the cucumber into thin slices and set aside. Then cut the tomatoes into quarters and the onion into feathers. Put all these vegetables in a bowl, plus the olives, pepper and feta. Season with salt, pepper, oregano, olive oil and vinegar to taste. Stir and serve.

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Believe it or not, cucumber and mayonnaise don’t mix. In fact, in Japanese cuisine it is not uncommon to find preparations of this style, added to ingredients such as soy sauce and certain spices.

An easy trick to experiment with this combination? Thinly slice a clean cucumber and put the slices in a bowl. Also add some toasted sesame seeds and a few tablespoons of good mayonnaise. Add a dash of soy sauce and another dash of hot sauce, stir well —so that all the cucumber pieces are bathed in this special mayonnaise—, cover and refrigerate for two hours. Finally, remove from the cold and serve in a sandwich or salad.

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Cucumber is also used to prepare a good cream. In this case, a cold summer cream, which does not need fire or pans to resist the heat. Serves for two people.

Cucumber and mint cream

—1 peeled cucumber

—1 Greek or plain yogurt

-1 clove of garlic

-5 mint leaves, well washed.

—Salt, pepper, olive oil and cider vinegar

Cut the cucumber into small pieces and put them in the jar of a blender. Finely chop the garlic and also add it to the blender. Add the yogurt and mint leaves, season with salt, pepper and a generous drizzle of olive oil. Mix everything until you get a creamy consistency. If necessary, add a little water and adjust the salt. Refrigerate for two hours then serve.

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Even better than cucumber cream, the famous gazpacho, which can also be eaten cold. Although it is tomato-based, it has cucumber as a co-star. Without further ado, the corresponding recipe.

Gazpacho (for one litre)

—4 very ripe tomatoes

—¼ green pepper

—¼ cucumber

—½ onion

-1 clove of garlic

—Olive oil, white wine vinegar and salt

Wash the tomatoes very well, cut them into quarters and put them in the glass of the blender. Then add the green pepper (washed and without seeds or ribs) cut in half, the cucumber, peeled and quartered, just like the onion. Next, strike the garlic with the knife, discard its skin and add it to the blender. Finally add a generous splash of olive oil and another of vinegar.

Before covering the blender, season with a little salt and also add a little cold water (about a glass). Process until all ingredients are well blended. Then taste the mixture and correct with salt and/or vinegar if necessary. Give it a few more turns, pass it through a colander and serve quickly (so that it does not take on temperature) in deep dishes.

Is it possible to eat stuffed cucumbers? Sure. All you need is an awl or similar tool, with which to hollow out the previously peeled cucumber. Then they are cut in half, placed on a plate and garnished. With what? The truth is that natural yogurt always goes well with cucumber, so it could be a mixture of this dairy product with minced anchovies and capers, plus a touch of pepper and olive oil. Fresher, easier and more delicious than that, impossible.

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We know hosomaki is that type of roll that has seaweed on the outside of the rice, filled with just one ingredient. Good: if you try the cucumber hosomaki, you will have in front of you a very fresh and light snack, really ideal to eat at this time of the year, with a good glass of wine or beer on the side. But be careful, when I think of cucumber hosomaki, I only think of the one they prepare in a traditional Japanese restaurant . I am not responsible for others.

*Prices for products in this article are updated as of January 10, 2023. Values ​​and their availability may change.