Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is a widely cultivated plant from the Cucurbitaceae family. It is a creeping vine that bears cucumiform fruits that are used as vegetables. There are three main varieties of cucumber: slicing, pickling, and seedless. Within these varieties, several cultivars have been created. The cucumber is originally from South Asia, but now grows on most continents. Many different types of cucumber are traded on the global market.

Nutrition

In a 100-gram serving, raw cucumber (with peel) is 95% water, provides 67 kilojoules (16 kilocalories) and supplies low content of essential nutrients, as it is notable only for vitamin K at 16% of the Daily Value.

Earliest cultivation

The cucumber is listed among the foods of ancient Ur, and the legend of Gilgamesh describes people eating cucumbers. Cucumbers are mentioned in the Bible as one of the foods eaten by the Israelites in Egypt. From India, it spread to Greece (where it was called "σίκυον", síkyon) and Italy (where the Romans were especially fond of the crop), and later into China.

Roman Empire

According to Pliny, the Emperor Tiberius had the cucumber on his table daily during summer and winter. The Romans reportedly used artificial methods (similar to the greenhouse system) of growing to have it available for his table every day of the year. Reportedly, they were also cultivated in cucumber houses glazed with oiled cloth known as “specularia”.

Middle Ages

Charlemagne had cucumbers grown in his gardens in the 8th/9th century. They were reportedly introduced into England in the early 14th century, lost, then reintroduced approximately 250 years later. The Spaniards (through the Italian Christopher Columbus) brought cucumbers to Haiti in 1494. In 1535, Jacques Cartier, a French explorer, found “very great cucumbers” grown on the site of what is now Montreal.

Use of cucumber in the Middle Ages in The Netherlands

Around the year 1500 yellow cucumbers were cultivated in the Netherlands. After the year 1600 white cucumbers came through France to our country. The cultivation of these spread rapidly. Older cucumber varieties, such as the ones described here above, have a mild bitter taste. They were mostly used as vegetables or fruit.

We should note, however, that archaeological excavations in the Netherlands gave us seeds from cucumbers only found in cesspits near wealthy estates. In Tiel, the seeds were excavated near the house of the Van Lidth de Jeude family (wealthy tax collectors), at the Waterloo square in Amsterdam, near the Havezathe (manor) of Harreveld, and at the Vrieswijk estate in Heiloo.

The seeds

The seeds I am sending in this project are from the September 2018 cucumber harvest from my own garden. I collected & dried these seeds for you to plant in your own garden. The taste is fresh, perfect for a salad or a snack.

Sources:

·        J. Schoenaker “Gewashistorie van de komkommer Cucumis sativus” Wageningen 1984

·        Biax Consult “Archeobotanisch onderzoek in (post)middeleeuws Vlissingen” Zaandam 2006