Cucumber

Nutritional Properties

Cucumber ( Cucumis sativus ) is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family. Originally from the East Indies, it has been cultivated since ancient times for food.

The fruits that it produces (cucumbers) are consumed especially fresh, to embellish mixed salads, or destined for the canning industry of pickles.

Cucumbers have an oblong shape with a smooth or warty outer surface. Under a consistent skin they hide an almost colorless pulp rich in water, vitamins and mineral salts. Although the micronutrient content is on average lower than other vegetables, fresh cucumber is in fact a good source of fiber, thiamine, vitamin B6, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper and manganese. The presence of vitamin C and vitamin K (concentrated in the outer skin) is significant.

ENERGY [100 grams of peeled cucumbers]	12 Kcal
	50.2 Kjoule
Carbohydrates	2.2 g
Grassi	0.2 g
Protein	0.6 g
C vitamin	3.2 mg (5%)
Vitamin K	7.2 mcg (9%)
folate	14 mcg (3%)
Vitamin B6	0.1 mcg (3%)
Pantothenic acid	0.2 mg (2%)
Potassium	136 mg (4%)
Manganese	0.1 mg (4%)
Copper	0.1 mg (4%)
Magnesium	12 mg (3%)
Nutritional values PEELED CUCUMBERS

Fresh cucumbers are mainly composed of water (95%) and this characteristic, combined with the moderate vitamin and mineral content, gives them good refreshing, anti-gout and purifying properties.

Their use in salads is recommended during the sultry months of the summer period and, after cooking *, in case of sub-brilliant states, poisoning, gout, arthritis, calculosis, colic and intestinal irritation.

* for some subjects, cucumber is a food that is difficult to digest. In these cases, to increase digestibility, it is advisable to remove the peel, cut it into slices, add salt and leave it in a sieve for at least half an hour.

How to choose them at the supermarket

At the supermarket it is good to choose cucumbers with a shiny, well-stretched skin that is not wrinkled. The two ends must be firm, not soggy. Even the size of the fruit is a good criterion for evaluating the quality of the product: cucumbers that are too small or too large can in fact be, respectively, a sign of poor and excessive maturation. The larger fruits are also richer in seeds.

Recipes with Cucumbers

Tzatziki sauce

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Cucumbers and cosmetics

Cucumber is also used in cosmetics for skin applications with an emollient action. External use is indicated in the presence of skin irritations and impurities (acne, dermatosis, oily or too dry skin, cracking of the lips).

Wrinkles	Cucumber slices applied to the face as a beauty mask, keeping the side of the pulp resting on the skin for about half an hour
Freckles	Raw milk based lotion in which cucumber slices are macerated
Oily skin	Lotion prepared by recycling unsalted cooking water. Massage the part to be treated and let it absorb. Apply several times and rinse.
Defend the skin from sun and wind	Combine carrot and cucumber juice in equal parts. Massage the part to be treated and let it absorb. Apply several times and rinse.
Dry skins Dermatosis Cracking of the lips	Cream made from animal fat (500 g), balsam (1 g), rose water (6 g) and filtered cucumber juice (600 ml).