Why cucumbers are bitter and how it can be removed?

Firstly let’s start with why to know about this fact , since our childhood we have observed how our mothers used to rub cucumbers to remove bitterness present in them.  But the rubbing or any other technique does not remove bitterness every time and many time it tastes good without even rubbing. So what makes them bitter,  how it can be removed and what are the factors responsible for the same?

Why are cucumbers bitter?

The cucumbers belong to the Cucurbitaceae family. The plants of this family produce chemicals known as cucurbitacins, which are the main cause of making a cucumber bitter. These compounds are produced as a self-defence mechanism to protect themselves from being eaten. These compounds are usually confined to the leave and stems of the plant. We experience bitterness only when somehow these compounds move into the fruit. That's the reason why the whole fruit doesn’t turn better. The bitterness is commonly concentrated at the stem end and area just under the skin.

Some common technique used to remove bitterness:- 

Now as we know that bitterness is due to the cucurbitacin compound, so to remove the bitter taste what we have to do is decrease its concentration. This can be done in the following ways :

1. Rubbing the end

This is the most common technique. In this we have to cut off the last stem end of the cucumber and rub in a circular motion on it, resulting decrease in bitterness. Now let’s discuss how it helps ?  When we cut and rub the end, a white foam-like substance emerges from the cucumber which is nothing but cucurbitacin (remember which is responsible for the bitterness ). When it comes out its concentration automatically decreases and results in a better taste. 


2. By the addition of salt

In this, cucumber is cut into two half ( lengthwise),  then apply salt on the cut part and rub them against each other. After doing few times wash with water.
In this technique on one hand the concentration of the cucurbitacins decreases and on the other hand,  addition of little salty taste also hide the bitter taste, results in a much better flavour.



3. Fork furrow method

In this what we do is cut the ends and peel off the skin. Then take a fork and run its tins lengthwise till the whole cucumber gets covered with the fork furrows. This is believed by doing this, the chemical compound releases which are present just under the skin.
 All these methods do not guarantee to make our cucumber completely bitterness free but can help to decrease the bitterness up to some extent.



Why some cucumbers are bitter and some are not?

Several things are responsible for the bitterness in cucumbers which are :

Breed of cucumber

Some varieties are naturally more bitter while others have almost no trace of bitterness. This is due to the presence of different amount of the cucurbitacin they develop.

(Picture taken from askthefoodgreek.com )

Environmental effects

The cucumber plant grown with unsteady water supply, leftover the heated, extreme fluctuation of temperature (rapid changes in temperature) or not fertilised properly can also produce bitterness. This is the reason why one cucumber might be perfectly fine and the other one can taste pretty bitter.