You often hear the question: “Why does my cucumber taste bitter?” Yes, gardeners want to know why. Is it due to improper storage or the way the cucumber is grown? Perhaps most importantly, is there anything we can do about it? Discover here how to prevent and get rid of the bitter taste of vegetables!
Why are my cucumbers bitter?
A very healthy vegetable
Cucumber is a very healthy food that belongs to the cucurbit family and contains a high water content as well as numerous minerals, vitamins and electrolytes. It was named Vegetable of the Year for 2019 and 2020. This type of vegetable is known as a cooling food for the body because it...Water balance in the heatmaintained.
The seeds and peel of cucumber are also very healthy and a good source of bitter substances and silicon, which aid digestion. The shell contains sterols that successfully lower cholesterol.
Cucumber tastes bitter - cause
The cause of the bitterness in cucumbers and other squashes such as zucchini is a compound calledCucurbitacinis known. This compound is always present in cucumbers, but the content changes depending on the vegetable's growth process. The higher the cucurbitacin content, the more bitter the vegetable is.
Environmental factors have an influence on the cucurbitacin content. For example, extreme heat and constant temperature fluctuations can affect the value of an entire vegetable garden.Also the irrigationhas a big influence. Too little water, followed by drought, often leads to elevated levels of this bitter compound.
Are bitter cucumbers harmful?
Generally not. It's true that some cucumbers and zucchini are so bitter that they have caused food poisoning. Higher concentrations of the bitter chemical cucurbitacin can cause flatulence in some people. However, you won't find these types of vegetables in your grocery store. Mild bitterness, such as that found in commercial vegetables, has no negative effects on your health. Cucumbers are safe to eat as long as they show no signs of spoilage (for example, a sour smell or spoilage).
If you grow your own cucumbers and they taste very bitter, you should stop eating them. Various problems can occur – stomach cramps, diarrhea, etc
Cucumbers become bitter for two main reasons: variety and stress. The first problem only occurs with older varieties that have male and female flowers. If you leave the male flowers in place, bees and other pollinators will draw pollen from them and fertilize the female flowers. This is not desirable because the fruit then tastes bitter. Remove any male flowers as soon as they appear.
The other cause of bitter cucumbers is plant stress. The vegetables need to be watered regularly and you should make sure that the soil stays moist but does not get wet. Avoid over or under watering – little and often is best. However, make sure there is good air circulation, otherwise mildew could make the fruit bitter. Spraying also helps control spider mites, which can cause plant stress and bitter fruit.
Use a quality compost that provides all the nutrients your cucumbers need and remember that fertilization is important to ensure a tasty yield. A normal tomato fertilizer is sufficient, buta fertilizer with a high nitrogen contentis more suitable to avoid bitterness.
Cucumber tastes bitter: get rid of the taste
Discard the bitter parts
When the bitter compounds enter the cucumber, they are concentrated at the stem end (where the stem was attached) and just below the peel. If your vegetable is bitter, cut a piece from the center and taste it again to see if the center is less bitter. If the middle slice tastes better, just leave out the stem end.
Another option is to peel the peel and a layer underneath, as the layer directly under the peel may also contain bitter substances.
Add salt
Salt alters foods in many ways and one of them is inhibiting our ability to taste bitterness. There are numerous scientific studies that prove this. They show that salt improves many foods by reducing the bitter taste - from grapefruit to coffee, which therefore tastes less bitter.
You can reduce the bitterness of cucumbers with salt in several ways.
- Salt the cucumbers directly: Do this carefully so that the vegetable does not taste like sea water. When salted, cucumbers lose moisture and can wet a vegetable platter or ruin the texture of other dishes. If this is a problem, you can salt the vegetables beforehand and drain them in a colander or on a paper towel.
- Using cucumbers in a savory dish: You don't need to salt them directly if you're adding them to another savory dish.
Cucumber tastes bitter: add sugar
Sugar also reduces the ability to perceive bitterness, which is one of the main reasons for adding sugar to grapefruit, cocktails and coffee. Sometimes both sugar and salt are used to reduce bitterness.
Vinegar and pickling
A good vinaigrette can temper bitterness because the sour and bitter flavors compete with each other (just like sugar in a sweeter dressing). This also counteracts the bitterness of leaf salads.
Pickling brine (especially with added sugar) can also reduce bitterness. You may need to leave the vegetables in the brine for several weeks to tame them.
