Many of today’s most important crops, such as watermelon, honey melon, cucumber, squash, zucchini, and pumpkin, all belong to the family Cucurbitaceae. Alternately known as the cucumber family, cucurbits, gourd family, or squash family. Most wild cucurbit fruits are bitter and nonpalatable to humans. Those with non-bitterness to their pulp were apparently favored during early domestication of both Cucumbers (C. sativus) and Sweet Melons (C. melo). When growing modern cucumbers, it is important to know that most still have a potential to become bitter if left on the vine too long.
Cucumbers, which are among the most important Cucurbitaceae crops, originated in Asia. They are believed to have been domesticated from wild Indian C. sativus var. hardwickii which has small, bitter‐tasting or sour fruit. Research indicates that the East Asian C. sativus cultivars diverged from the Indian cultivars approximately 2500 years ago. There are three main cultivar groups of cucumber that were slowly selected for distinct purposes; Eurasian cucumbers (slicing cucumbers eaten raw and immature), East Asian cucumbers (pickling cucumbers) and Xishuangbanna cucumbers.
Perhaps the most famous example of cucumbers is attributed to Pliny the Elder who stated that Emperor Tiberius (14 – 16 AD) demanded to eat cucumis every day of the year. During summer special gardens were tended just for his vegetables, and in winter it was grown on moveable bed frames that were relocated to be exposed to the sun or illuminated with the mirror-stones in proto-greenhouses known as specularia. However, it is now believed that this has been a perpetuated mistranslation and that instead of cucumber (C. sativus) the Emperor most likely enjoyed eating Snake Melon (C. melo).
In the 9th century Charlemagne included cucumeres, pepones, and cucurbitas as part of a large list of things to plant in his Capitulare de Villis. The translation of these is generally accepted to be cucumbers, large melons, and gourds – all cucurbits! Italian and French manuscripts having accurate, informative images of both cucumbers and melons were produced between 1300 and 1458 CE.
We have an abundance of cucumeres (C. sativus) here at Emerickeskepe this year. For the first time we are growing round, yellow, heirloom cucurbits called “Lemon Cucumbers”, in addition to the cylindrical green cucumbers most of us are familiar with. One of my favorite ways to enjoy cucumber is Gurkensalat. This is simply my Oma’s recipe, and not in any way reflective of an historic redaction. This is a good recipe to assemble the night before and then pack in the ice chest in the morning before heading to an event! I have also made it on-site while camping.
NOTE: This recipe is easily increased. I generally estimate about half a cucumber per serving then I just adjust the ingredients for the dressing. Plan ahead as you will need time to set the salad aside for either a few hours, or overnight!
Gurkensalat (German Cucumber Salad)
SALAD Ingredients:
2-3 large Cucumbers (Peel if they have thick skin or were waxed!)
1 medium Onion (can be any kind, but I prefer sweet)
Salt
DRESSING Ingredients:
¼ C Half and Half
3 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tbsp Sugar (or sweetener of choice)
2 tsp dried Dill Weed (less if using fresh!)
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare the salad:
Slice the ends off the cucumbers, and score* them.
Slice the scored cucumbers thinly (less than 1/4″ thick – use a mandolin if you have one).
Thinly slice the onion. Cut onion slices so that the finished pieces will be similar to the cucumber when eaten.
In a glass bowl, mix the sliced cucumbers and onions. Sprinkle with approx. 1/4 tsp salt per cucumber until slices are coated. Cover and set aside. Let sit at room temp 2-3 hours or in the fridge overnight.
Prepare the dressing:
Mix the milk, vinegar, and sugar together, stirring until slightly thickened. Chill 30 -60 minutes minimum. I often will make the dressing the night before, as well as the salad, and simply store it in a lidded canning jar in the fridge.
NOTE: If taking the salad and dressing with me to an event or potluck, I do not assemble it until about an hour before serving. Just remember to bring the dill, pepper mill, and slotted serving spoon with you!
Assemble the salad:
Drain the liquid from the salad. At home, I find it easy to just dump the cucumbers and onions into a colander in the sink and leave it to drain for a few minutes. I then put the cucumber and onion back into the same glass bowl they had been in OR I pull out a decorative bowl if expecting guests.
Pour the chilled dressing over the cucumbers and onions and gently toss. Taste a slice of the cucumber and season with salt and pepper as desired. Often, I just add fresh cracked pepper at this point as the salad has already been salted. Sprinkle dill weed on top, cover, and refrigerate (or place back into the ice chest) for about an hour.
Serve using a slotted spoon. Traditionally, Gurkensalat can be served at room temperature, but here in Ansteorra I prefer it chilled. If it is going to be sitting out for a while, nestle the glass salad bowl into a large, metal bowl that has a little ice in it. A small towel under the metal bowl catches condensation.
NOTE: You want a dressing that is a little bit sour and with the consistency of thin cream. You can substitute any milk product for the half and half. You may also use lemon juice in place of the vinegar. If you have a little bit of Sour Cream, use that but omit the vinegar/lemon juice. If you have fresh Dill available, use it, but always use less of the fresh when a recipe calls for dried herbs.
*Scoring a cucumber: Use a fork to score the length of the cucumber(s) all around prior to slicing. This helps remove bitterness and creates a festive look to the cucumber! Always peel cucumbers that have been waxed. If not waxed, and the skin isn’t too thick, leave the skin on and just score through the skin.
SOURCES:
Capitulare de Villis Edition: A. Boretius, ed. Capitularia regum Francorum I, MGH Legum Sectio II (Hanover 1883), no. 32, pp. 82-91.
http://diglib.hab.de/wdb.php?dir=mss/254-helmst&imgtyp=1&size=
Annals of Botany, Volume 110, Issue 1, 1 July 2012, Pages 23-33,
Published: 30 May 2012
https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcs098
Medieval herbal iconography and lexicography of Cucumis (cucumber and melon, Cucurbitaceae) in the Occident, 1300–1458
Harry S. Paris, Jules Janick, and Marie-Christine Daunay
Ann Bot. 2011 Sep; 108(3): 471–484.
Published online 2011 Jul 27. doi: 10.1093/aob/mcr182
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3158695/
Origin and domestication of Cucurbitaceae crops: insights from phylogenies, genomics and archaeology; Guillaume Chomicki, Hanno Schaefer, and Susanne S. Renner
First published: 22 June 2019 https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.16015
What the Roman Emperor Tiberius Grew in His Greenhouses
https://www.ancient.eu/article/446/what-the-roman-emperor-tiberius-grew-in-his-greenh/
https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/2_13_Janick.pdf
APICIUS – Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome; A Bibliography, Critical Review and Translation of the Ancient Book known as Apicius de re Conquinaria. Translated into English by Joseph Dommers Vehling
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/29728/29728-h/29728-h.htm
Dancing Moon Farmstead and Emerickeskepe 