Is Cucumber a fuit or vegetable?

Cucumber is one of the most popular Agro products found around the whole world and is loved by many people, there is a confusing question of wether cucumber is a fruit or a vegetable. In this article, I will answer the question according to what science has proven.

According to science, cucumbers are fruits because they grow from the flowers of the plant and hold the seeds.

I classify cucumber as both fruit and vegetable because this depends on different views of different classes of people.

although scientifically, it is a fruit, but many people still regard it as a vegetable. I will explain this below, but first of all,I will explain what cucumber is.

WHAT IS CUCUMBER?

Cucumber is a crop that is long in shape, dark green in colour and a kind of yellowish when it ripe.

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It is normally eaten raw or is used to prepare many kinds of foods and dishes including salad and fruit salad etc.

Cucumber is filled with a kind of tastles water on the inside of it and a whitish substance or membrane and tons of seeds which is when planted and grow bears cucumber fruits.

It is a kind of edible plant/crop that belongs to the family of gourd , it is widely cultivated in many nations/places and makes a nutritious addition to large number of diet.

This plant is usually taken as a vegetable based on how it is used in the culinary world. However, as it grows from flowers and contains seeds, it’s botanically a fruit.

Regardless of it’s vegetable or fruit status, there are countless ways to make use of cucumber in your cooking or beauty routine etc.

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Much of the confusion centering on the classification of different vegetables and fruits comes from the culinary view.

The culinary definition of a fruit or vegetable is normally based on flavor profile, texture, and the best applications within a particular dish.

Fruits use to be very tangy, tart, or sweet, and they typically have a softer and more delicate texture. They are more likely to be used in dishes like desserts, pastries, syrups, sauces, and smoothies etc that call for such flavors and textures.

On the other hand, vegetables are usually tougher in texture and generally have more bitter elements in their flavor profile. They’re typically best suited for savory dishes like entrees, soups, and salads.

In terms of flavor, cucumbers fall somewhere in the center, although they are more likely to be used as a vegetable.

The crisp texture, mild taste of the inner flesh, and slightly bitter flavor of the skin lend themselves well to a wide variety of savory recipes.

Cucumbers can occasionally pass for fruit when paired with other sweeter fruits like berries or melon etc.

In botanical view (the study of plants), fruits allow a flowering plant to reproduce.

A fruit is formed from the ovary that exists within the flower and houses the seeds that will eventually grow into new plants.

botanist would use the botanical classification, which is based on the plant’s physiological characteristics, like the structure, function and organisation of the plant. Therefore, botanically speaking, a ‘fruit’ is the seed-bearing product that grows from the ovary of a flowering plant or, in other words, a fruit is the plants’ way of spreading its’ seeds.

A botanical fruit would have at least one seed and grow from the flower of the plant. With this definition in mind, cucumbers are classified as fruit because they contain tiny seeds in the middle and grow from the flower of the cucumber plant.

When looking at the 2 points of view or schools of taught, by the botanical view/science and culinary view, you will come to the conclusion that both of them are not wrong either in any way.

Culinary view classifies cucumber as a vegetable because of what it is used to do or based on what is serves as, like using it to prepare some meal alongside some vegetables like fluted pumpkin, salad etc, and they are right about it!

I think I have answered the question above ( based on my thorough research)
now let’s dive into some informations about cucumber.

Cucumber as a crop is normally planted in the early raining season between the month of March and may and they do grow very fast because they have a very short life span and this makes it easier to farm and get good results in a short time.

It is planted by it’s seed as I explained above!. They are normally planted on a farm bed and it grows just like yam or pumpkin, but it is quite different from yam because it is not a tuber or root crop.

It is a very heavy drinker, hence farming it on rainy season is the very best so that the rain could take care of it’s watering so as to avoid unnecessary expenses of irrigation or watering. It requires a sandy loamy soil to grow very fine and produce good fruits.

The market of cucumber is very high, because of the high demand of this fruit, it has been providing a sufficient income for many serious Farmers who are into the cucumber farming business, Also it is a good export goods as it is exported from one country to another, thereby improving the economy of many different nations in the world.

Apart from many numerous benefits it has on the economy and personal income of Nations and individuals, It serves as a good food for both man and animals as it is used to prepare many foods like cooking of rice, cooking of noodles, preparing salad, fruit salad also, cooking of soups, and even eating it raw with or without ground nut.

Animals like pig, horse, donkey, monkey, sheep, rabbit, love this fruit.

It has many health benefits, although not much vitamins, but it has enough nutrients that could help to sustain the body and protect it against many types of disease.

It has enough water in it that normally help with dehydration.

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CONCLUSION

I hope this article have enlightened you on the argument – if cucumber is a fruit or a vegetable and some useful informations about it. Ask me any question via email.

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