Cucumbers are green, why are they called cucumbers

When it comes to cucumbers, everyone is familiar with them, but cucumbers are obviously green, why are they called cucumbers?

Why is cucumber called cucumber? Cucumbers are obviously green, why are they called cucumbers? That's because cucumbers are foreign products, and cucumbers are yellow when ripe.

The cucumber was originally called Hu Gua, which was brought back by Zhang Qian of the Han Dynasty when he went to the Western Regions. The name of the courgette was changed to cucumber, which began in Later Zhao.

The cucumber was discovered by Zhang Qian, who was sent to the Western Regions, and it was called Hugua at first, but later changed its name because of the emperor!

Cucumbers are obviously green, why are they called cucumbers?

The name "cucumber" has little to do with the color of the cucumber. It's just that Zhang Qian of the Western Han Dynasty gave it the homonym of "courgette" when it was introduced to the Central Plains from the Western Regions. The reason for the name change is that Emperor Yang of Sui tabooed "Hu" people, and second, Emperor Zhao Ming tabooed the word "Hu", so he changed his name to "cucumber", and the folk sometimes called "Wang Gua", all of which are similar in pronunciation.

And the skin of the really ripe cucumber is yellow, and the seeds are also yellow, but the taste is poor. During the cultivation process, people found that cucumbers were more crisp and delicious when eaten raw, so they were picked and eaten when they were not ripe. Over time, people thought that green cucumbers were ripe cucumbers.

Characteristics of cucumbers1. The color of the fruit is oil green or emerald green, and there are soft small thorns on the surface.

2. Cylindrical to long rod-shaped, usually 8 to 18 days after flowering to reach commercial maturity.

3. The tender fruit is green or dark green, a few are light yellow or white, and the fruit surface is smooth or has edges, tumors and thorns.

4. It takes 35 to 45 days from flowering to physiological maturity, and the fruit is yellow-white or brown, and some fruit surfaces are cracked.

Cucumbers are called cucumbers because they are yellow in color when they are ripe and their seeds are yellow.

In the beginning, people only knew about the use of ripe yellow cucumbers, but later because of the accidental discovery that unripe green cucumbers tasted better, so yellow cucumbers gradually became history, and now, everyone only knows that cucumbers are green, but they do not know the reason why they are called cucumbers.

Cucumber, is the cucurbitaceae annual creeping or climbing herbaceous plant, China's cucumber can be traced back to the Han Dynasty at the earliest, which has a history of more than 2,000 years from today, the original name is courgette, it was brought back by Zhang Qian when he went to the Western Regions during the Han Dynasty. At that time, things from foreign countries were probably preceded by a Hu character, which gave rise to this name.

How to choose cucumbers:

When we choose cucumbers, we can first look at the color of cucumbers, the color of normal fresh cucumbers should be green, dark green, some people think that light-colored ones are more tender, but in fact, it is wrong to think so.

Because naturally ripe cucumbers have more sunlight during the growth process, the color is darker, and the cucumbers that have been injected with hormones, as well as the cucumbers in the greenhouse, have a short light time, and the color is much lighter than that of naturally ripe cucumbers. So it's better to choose dark green ones and avoid choosing hormonal cucumbers.

Cucumbers are straight and curved. Vegetable farmers say that cucumbers are naturally grown vegetables, and because they are connected to vines, coupled with many factors such as light, temperature, and fertilization, there will be some bending.

And now you will see a lot of straight cucumbers on the market, although they look good, but such cucumbers may have been artificially intervened, so it is best not to buy very straight cucumbers, and it is better to choose a little bent, and the taste will not be bad. But don't pick those cucumbers that obviously turn in a circle, or even have pointed heads, uneven, such cucumbers are stunted.

Truly ripe cucumbers have a yellow skin and yellow seeds, but have a poor taste. During the cultivation process, people find that cucumbers are more crisp and delicious when eaten raw. Over time, people thought that green cucumbers were ripe cucumbers.

According to the distribution area of cucumber and its ecological traits, it is divided into the following types:

1. South Asian type.

It is found throughout South Asia. The stems and leaves are thick, easy to branch, the fruit is large, the weight of a single fruit is 1 5 kg, the fruit is short cylindrical or long cylindrical, the skin is light in color, the nodules are sparse, and the spines are black or white. The skin is thick and the taste is light.

It likes humidity and heat, and strictly requires short days. There are many landraces, such as Sikkim cucumber, Chinese Banna cucumber and Zhaotong cucumber.

2. South China type.

The representative varieties are Kunming early cucumber, Guangzhou Erqing, Shanghai Yangxing, Wuhan herring gallbladder, Chongqing Dabai and Japan's Qingchang, Sagami Banbai, etc.

3. North China type.

The representative varieties include Shandong Xintai Mi Thorn, Beijing Big Thorn Melon, Tangshan Autumn Melon, Beijing Luffa Green and hybrids Zhongnong 1101, Jinyan 1-7, Jinza 1, Jinza 2, Luchun 32 and so on.

4. European and American type.

European and American greenhouse cucumbers are distributed in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The stems and leaves are luxuriant, resistant to low temperature and low light, the fruit surface is smooth, light green, and the fruit length is more than 1250px. There are British greenhouse cucumbers, Dutch greenhouse cucumbers, etc.

5. Small cucumbers.

It is distributed in Asia, Europe and the United States. The plants are short and branched. Flowers and fruits. Representative varieties include Yangzhou long milk cucumber.