English Cucumber; All You Need to Know

There are various types of cucumbers in the world, and choosing the right type of cucumber while making your sideline salad, or garnishing your main course can be tricky. Therefore, in this article, I will be discussing the talk of the town ‘English Cucumber.’

What are English Cucumbers?

English cucumbers are also known as European Cucumbers, Hothouse Cucumbers, or Seedless Cucumbers. The reason they are called seedless cucumbers is that they have very few small-sized seeds.

The English cucumber is long and thin in appearance. It has a few ridges on the skin and is rough, or you may say scaly to touch. These cucumbers offer a sweet punch of taste, edible skin that tastes good and seeds that are hard to feel.

Difference Between Regular and English Cucumbers

Let’s check out how these two differ:

English Cucumbers	Regular Cucumbers
Not waxed skin, think skin	Waxy and tough skin
Sweet taste	Slightly bitter taste
A little expensive	Less expensive
Fewer seeds	A lot of seeds
Skin and seeds can stay; the taste will be sweet	Skin and seeds should be removed to reduce the bitterness

Where to Buy English Cucumber?

English Cucumbers are not difficult to find. Why? Because they are available throughout the year and are easily available in markets. You may find them under the name *Seedless Cucumbers*. This is your cue to recognize that these are English Cucumbers.

When shopping for English Cucumbers, you need to look for Cucumbers that are more cylindrical and appear at least 10-15 inches long. You may run your hands and fingers on its body to see if it’s mushy at some point. A fresh English Cucumber should be tight and should have no soft spots at all.

Tip: Avoid buying cucumbers that are mushy, have soft spots, or if you see any liquid in the plastic that they're wrapped in.

How To Store?

Before buying cucumbers, keep the above tips in mind. This is mainly because the quality of cucumber impacts its storage life.

English cucumbers are always sold in plastic wraps. This is because of their delicate skin, making them an easy target for bacteria. When you bring these home, make sure to keep them in the plastic wrap in your veggie section of the refrigerator. These can stay good for up to a week in their plastic wrap.

The better you buy, the longer they stay good.

Aamoon Anthony

Using English Cucumbers

English Cucumbers is a preferred choice of chefs around the globe for their outclass dishes. The main reason again is because of fewer seeds in it and their tasteful skin. You can make plenty of salads using English cucumbers or use them as a side dish. You can even eat them as is. Yes! They’re that delicious.

Tip: Cucumbers are a great skin treating agent and source of beauty enhancement, it's moisturizing effect is well known around the globe, hence, it is used in many face washes, scrubs, masks etc.  

More cucumber oriented dishes;

1. Tea Sandwiches
2. Spring Rolls
3. Cucumber Sushi Rolls
4. Cucumber Kimchi
5. Pickles

And much more. Also, these are exceptionally good to be used in Cucumber juice. They are sweeter in taste and refreshing; thus, you won’t have to worry about the bitter taste of the juice.

Calories Count

When it comes to consuming English cucumbers, you don’t have to worry about calories. These are exponentially low in calories. The maximum number of calories an English cucumber can have is about 50. This, too, depends upon the size of cucumber you’re consuming. Approximately 2 cups of chopped cucumbers contain 50 calories at max. English Cucumbers are mainly water. The water percentage is about 96 per cent.

Health Benefits

Cucumbers are an excellent source of water, that’s for sure. But they have several other health benefits. Some of these are;

1. They keep you hydrated because of the high water content
2. Promotes bone health
3. Promotes cardiovascular health
4. Keeps your sugar levels in check and prevents the risk of diabetes
5. They are anti-inflammatory
6. Aids in weight loss
7. Contains antioxidants
8. Helps with digestion

Feature English Cucumber with These Recipes

1. Some delicious Appetizers: Fried Spinach Patties, Paula Deen Spinach Dip Recipe, Olga’s Spinach Pie Recipe, Kale Chips Recipe by Food Network, Chum Salmon Recipe
2. Breakfast recipes: Mariano’s Kale Smoothie, Tofu Scramble, Tomato Bruschetta, Classic Hummus