Then what makes continental cucumbers so precious?Like why are they the ones that are sheathed in like a thin layer of plastic?
So you're saying that they need to toughen up because Lebanese cucumbers are like left to their own devices, unwrapped, just on the shelf.
Exactly.It's embarrassing.It's actually embarrassing that you think you need to be wrapped in plastic when you're quite a hearty vegetable.I'm sorry, but get out of here.
Hi, you're listening to Ingredipedia, Australia's most unnecessarily wrapped food podcast.I'm Ben Birchell.I'm joined by Emily Naismith.Hello, Em.
Hi, Ben.It's cucumber day.Let's do it.
Ben, when you buy a cucumber, what are you most likely making with it?
Probably putting it in the salad or doing a little dicey pickle, like a home pickle kind of job to have with a curry.
Okay.Well, have you ever had the urge to eat an entire cucumber?
Like cukes?The little ones?No, no, no.Long one.Continental.Never.
Well, maybe you haven't come across the viral cucumber guy on your internet travels.His name is Logan and he's big on TikTok and he starts every video by saying, sometimes you just need to eat an entire cucumber.
sometimes you need to eat an entire cucumber this is the best way to do it start by slicing your entire cucumber and then a quarter of a red onion in with the cucumber i'm making the iconic salmon cream cheese cucumber salad so chop up some smoked salmon with everything else and then some of this whipped chive cream cheese so good
So yeah, then he proceeds to slice a whole continental cucumber with a mandolin straight into a large plastic cup.And then he adds different sauces and sprinkles, et cetera, and turns it into a salad.
And he always adds MSG and says, and MSG, obviously.
And puts a lid on top and shakes it really hard and it's all mixed.And then he tries it.
Finally, a viral thing I can get behind.Well done, Logan.
So when I say he's big on TikTok, his most popular recipe has a combined 66 million views.
I just had a look at this one.Yeah.That's got a 2.5 million like hearts.
So that was salmon, cream cheese, bagel, cucumber, which has an entire cucumber, smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers, avocado, everything, bagel seasoning, red onion, salt, pepper, and MSG, obviously.
Other big hits were his California roll cucumber, 41 million views.Din Tai Fung cucumber, 33 million views.I made that last night with soy sauce and rice wine vinegar and chili oil and garlic and sesame oil.It was really, really good.
And MSG, obviously.So I'm inspired by Logan and I too want in, but instead of making one of his salads, I want to bring my own flair to the entire cucumber for lunch trend.So I will be making Banh Mi cucumber. Okay.
So this doesn't exist.No, I don't think Emily is inventing it.
Well, I mean, I did a search on me, cucumber, Logan, and it didn't come up.So apologies if I've missed something there.First, start by slicing your entire cucumber.
Wait, Logan doesn't have a copyright on that, does he?
Top points for having a super Ben Rinner.
It's just the Ben Renault, it's not the super.
Yeah, it's a bit narrower.Yeah, I think that's what makes mine super is it's quite, you know, it can take a whole onion, you know what I'm saying?
We're not all extra.Okay, we've got some pate.
Yes.Do you often cook with chopsticks?I noticed that that's what like the influencers do and I don't do it enough.
I'm just doing it because Logan does it.Okay, yeah.Got some pickled carrot that I pickled myself last night.Ah, nice.Got some roast pork.Yes. I've got some coriander, some chili.Yes.Red chili.
So this has got cucumber and coriander in it.So it's really nicely divisive just as a salad.
I've got some mayonnaise.I know you kind of use kind of your more standard mayonnaise in banh mi, but I only have Kewpie.I think Kewpie's better.
We've established that in previous episodes.
Matchy seasoning.Oopsie.Sorry, computer. And some salt.And some MSG, obviously.
Obviously.So you've gone with Ajinomoto, I'm looking... I have, I have.Okay.I'm a V10 guy, but that's cool.
Put your lid on and shake.He must really do this for a few minutes. All right, banh mi cucumber.Yeah, it does taste like it.Just need some crusty bread, which is kind of the best bit of banh mi.
That's what I was gonna say.It's kind of the point, right?Like the crusty, fresh baguette.Do you think, what about if you, and I haven't tried it yet, and I'm not saying it needs it, but what about adding some pork crackle so it's got some crunch?
Yeah, pork crackle would be good.Good build.
Emily, I mentioned it in passing while you were making that salad, but cucumber is kind of one of those divisive foods.It's a food we fight about.Have you noticed that?
I reckon people are kind of like ambivalent towards it.
I thought that, but there are people close to me that hate it.Really? Someone, someone quite close to me.And I've always been dismissive of that.
And you know, and it's, it's always funny when you're thinking about an ingredient, that ingredient sort of pops up for you that week.
Last night, a friend of mine, a chef, Jake Cassar, founder of Mortadelli, picked the cucumber out of his salad and gave it to his wife.And I was like, Jake, what are you doing there?He goes, I don't like cucumber.I was like, what?
And so Jake, but also someone. Quite close to me does not like cucumber.So I've look I've been fairly dismissive of of that So I would like to make a public apology.
I'd like to use this podcast as a forum to make a public apology to my father-in-law Peter if you're listening, this is for you I'll read from a statement.
In the past, when you have refused to eat leafy green vegetables or pumpkin or cucumber, I have mocked you.You've said it repeats on you.And I have been dismissive of that.
Uh, gives him a reflux.Oh, okay.And, um, makes him burpy.Okay.I've been dismissive of that.And I have called you toddler palate. But it seems I may have been hasty.There may be genuine scientific reasons for your aversion.
Like what?Cucumber is basically water.Does he drink water?
I've never seen him, but okay.Let's go into the science.This is according to the BBC. Now everyone inherits two copies of a taste gene called TASR38, so that's taste receptor 38.
It encodes for a protein in the taste receptors on the tongue which allows us to taste bitterness.People who inherit two copies of a variant of the gene TASR38 called AVI are not sensitive to bitter taste from certain chemicals.
Those with one copy of AVI and another called PAV perceive bitter tastes of these chemicals, but not to an extreme degree.Individuals with two copies of PAV, often called supertasters, find the same foods exceptionally bitter.
Those foods include cucumbers. But what makes cucumbers bitter in the first place?
Fruits and vegetables in the Cucurbitaceae family, such as cucumbers, watermelons, and melons, have a bitter steroid, cucurbitacin, which acts as a shield against bugs or herbivores.
The bitterness decreases as the fruit ripens, but people with two copies of PAV can still taste it, making it more likely that cucumber haters will be people with PAV encoded in their chromosomes.
If one has extremely developed PAV, they will be able to taste excessive bitterness, not only from cucumbers, but from certain fruits such as melons and watermelons.And these cucurbitacins also make some people burp or give them heartburn.
The burps are caused by toxic compounds. found in the flesh of the cucumbers.Burpless cucumbers have been cultivated to have less cucurbitacins.The amount of cucurbitacins in cucumbers can increase during growth as a result of water or heat stress.
And it's not just cucumbers, as I mentioned, it's other kinds of melon, including pumpkin.So Peter, my father-in-law, You don't have a toddler palate.You are genetically inferior.And I apologize.
I'd love to be a supertaster.
But you taste bitterness.You don't taste sweetness.No, I'm jealous of Peter now.Oh, you want to be a supertaster.
Yeah, but I'd still like pumpkin.Cause like, he can do no wrong. Ben, were you too old for MSN?
Um, yes.Okay.I mean, yeah.The answer is yes.Okay.Yeah.It was around, yeah.Yep.Yes.
Well, that is sad because you missed out on one of the core ways to define yourself.Choosing song lyrics for your display name.
So the core lyric I remember as mine was a Beastie Boys one, importantly displayed as alternating between upper and lowercase letters for every letter.And it said, well, I'm as cool as a cucumber in a bowl of hot sauce.Okay.So MCA wraps this.
Yes.In So What You Want.What You Want.Yes.
Let's hear him do it.Cause I was going to do it, but I think we should hear him do it.Okay.Thank you MCA.As cool as a cucumber.I just can't say it like properly.I have to say like how he says it.
As cool as a cucumber is a saying, which means calm under pressure. And in this song, he is saying that he isn't calm under pressure because a cucumber in a bowl of hot sauce is in fact not cool at all.
Is that what he's saying?I always thought he was saying he's extra cool because he's still cool, even though he's in a bowl of hot sauce.
Well, I've got some cucumber in a bowl of hot sauce, so we're going to decide.Okay.That is so interesting.
That's how I always read it.
And you think you're really cool and I'm really anxious.So that's like our different interpretations of the song.
Oh my God.If only the king MCA was still, I mean, it's the king ad-rock, I know, but like MCA is the real king.Yeah.
Okay. Oh my God, this is wild.I was like, I thought that like, I was down in black, white now.Are you okay?
Because I thought like explaining that simple, um, that simple, like idiom, is it to you was like, I, it made me feel like I was on that TV show that was on at like 5.00 AM.Um, when I was a child called English, have a go.
which taught people who didn't speak English as a first language, like how to speak English.
So you were teaching me MSN?
Yeah, no, no, no.I was teaching you just like how to, you know, do basic English, but I hadn't even interpreted it right, which makes so much sense because I learned all my social skills on that TV show.
Don't say anything, don't say anything, don't say anything. But why is this saying a thing?Okay.It's because of poetry.Cool as a Cucumber is first recorded in John Gay's poems, new song on new similes.Almost 300 years ago, this was written in 1732.
So his line is, pert as a pearmonger I'd be, if Molly were but kind, cool as a cucumber could see the rest of womankind. So unfortunately, Pert as a pearmonger hasn't stuck around.Like I've probably only used that like a handful of times.
That wasn't my MSN handle, but it was definitely kicking around in my Myspace profile.
But so yes, cool as a cucumber is definitely more ubiquitous, but why do we say this? Ben, have you ever sliced some cucumbers and put it on your eyeballs?
You know, like pretending to be like a fancy lady at a day spa.Come on.Haven't we all done that?You put a towel on your head.I think maybe it's cause.Classic gag.Well, it's cause Ferris, Ferris Bueller does it in Ferris Bueller style.
Well, one of the reasons that people do do it is the cooling effect of the cucumber juice, which can give your skin a refreshed look and feel.And that is because cucumbers are six to seven degrees cooler on the inside than room temperature.
And that's because of the water content.They're like 95% water and they're actually very cool, which yeah, we've got to decide.We've got to decide who's right.Like. Is MCA saying he's not cool or is he saying he's cool?
Is a cucumber in a bowl of hot sauce hot or cool?
Okay.Let's try it.Let's try it.I hope we can break down all sorts of hip hop lyrics in this style.
Welcome to English Have A Go in creative edition. It's more cool.
You're right.He's of course, MCA is very, very cool.
MCA is the coolest man alive.Was.
He's dead.Poor choice of sayings, Ben.We need to do that next time.
Like for eating quite a lot of hot sauce, that's quite a cooling effect on the tongue.
MCA.I'm sorry I misinterpreted you for literally over half of my life. Wow, I thought I was being self-deprecating.
I was thinking that you were bragging.
Oh my God.Now I know why I had no friends.
We're your friends, Emily.We're your friends. Emily, do you find it interesting that you don't have anybody in your life that doesn't like cucumber?
Cause it, yeah, it just feels like one of those things I've always just known of people that haven't liked cucumber.
I've gone through periods as a kid that like, I just had no time for it.
Like this is a pointless vegetable.But I think that the people who are ambivalent to it. Or the people that don't like it.Maybe they weren't properly preparing cucumber and maybe they weren't properly pairing it.
So I put something together today that I think addresses that.So let's talk about preparation.Queen Stephanie Alexander says that certain varieties of cucumber are better peeled. And some chefs salt their cucumber to remove the bitterness.
Japanese chefs sometimes soak their cucumbers in lightly salted, very cold water to increase crispness and take out that bitterness.This is according to The Cook's Companion by Stephanie Alexander, a friend of the podcast.
She also said, so that's preparation.Now let's talk pairing. Stephanie says that cucumbers pair well with caviar, with lemons, with chicken, maybe like a cucumber sandwich with a little bit of chicken, a little bit of mayo.Mayo's on there too.
Cream pairs well with cream.Pairs well with crab.
She also says pairs well with wholemeal bread, sour cream, spring onions, mint, and strawberries.
Uh, it's like Stephanie was across this recipe that I'm going to talk to you about right now from the woman's own cookbook from 1981 with thanks to Natasha Soutar, who shared it on Twitter, um, and shared it with our friends at a seventies dinner party.
Oh no.So this is going to be cursed, isn't it?
Well, let's see.It's called strawberry appetizer.
Okay.First of all, Stephanie has nothing to do with pistachios.
No, but most of the ingredients were on Stephanie's list.So they are things that pair well with cucumber.
Oh, well, I have nothing to worry about then.
225 grams of strawberries, hulled and quartered.Half a cucumber, diced.
Half a teaspoon of chopped mint.That was on Stephanie's list.Two teaspoons of grated onion.She said spring onion, but
Just said onion, so I've just used onion.
That's what it says in the women's own cookbook 1981.Salt and pepper.Yeah.Goes with everything.Sour cream.They say soured cream, but yeah, it's the same.A few sprigs of mint to garnish.
You mix all the ingredients except for the soured cream and mint.You chill thoroughly just before serving.You gently toss in the soured cream.Check with seasoning.Garnish with sprigs of mint and you serve with melba or hot toast.
I've put them on the little tiny toasts.
Yeah.So is this a dessert type thing or a salad type thing?
Well, let me tell you about the one crucial ingredient that was missing from Stephanie's list that is in this recipe.
Oh God.It's going to be something like banana.It's Fultanas or something.It's frankfurt.No.
So yeah, it's frankfurt.So there's two frankfurts cut up in this little salad mix.
And I won't be able to tell if they're the strawberries or the frankfurt.
No, because it's all mixed in sour cream and you don't know what is what.I don't want to.And I'm going to give it to you now.I'll eat it too.I'll eat it too.
Food.I like doing this podcast when we have nice food.
But let's just say, is this the dish that is going to bring people back to cucumber?Is it just about the pairing?
Is it about having it with a bit of crunch, a little bit of sweetness from this strawberry, a little bit of creaminess from the sour cream, a little bit of Frankfurt?
Yeah, serve this to Jake, see what he says.That's a whole lot of nothing.
Like the cucumber tastes like nothing.The hot dog tastes like nothing.The strawberries are not sweet and the soured cream is not sour.
It's like everything in there just cancels the other thing out.
It's a pretty amazing sensation.It's like eating nothing because, because you're eating everything.
Crunchy, creamy lumps.It's quite refreshing.
I mean, it's fine.Maybe, maybe if you just, um, you know, we're, uh, trying to like get healthy again after surgery and you just needed to get some calories in you, maybe this is what you eat.
Yeah.You could even just put it in a blender and probably like drink it.It would be quite similar to water.Nutritious hydrolyte.
Well, maybe it's the thing that's going to bring people back to cucumber then.
Okay, that was Cucumber.What did we talk about?
I did a deep dive on the viral Cucumber guy and made a banh mi cucumber salad.And then I investigated one of my favorite Beastie Boys lyrics because this is my podcast and I can do what I want. Our podcast, I guess.
It's our podcast, I guess.It's not Watcher Watcher What We Want, is it?No.Okay, and I made a public apology for those with two copies of the PAV variant on their TASR38 gene.
And then I tried to bring people back to cucumber in a way that really is pushing them away.
Yeah, they'll never touch it again. You can vote for whose cucumber facts you found the most interesting on our Instagram, which is Ingridipedia.Thank you for listening to this cucumber exploration.
I feel, I feel like we went deep.We learned, we learned about ourselves today.
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