What is the difference between English cucumbers and regular cucumbers?
English cucumbers are the long, skinny variety that are sold wrapped in plastic. “Regular” cucumbers that have a dark green, waxy skin are of the Persian or Kirby varieties. Regular cucumbers are inexpensive and are a very popular choice when purchasing cucumbers. The skin is thicker than their English counterparts, and is also waxed. They are often sold in a seedless form or near seedless form nowadays as regular cucumbers can have unpleasant seeds to work with. It is rare in the United States to find a regular cucumber with large seeds with today’s modern farming techniques. English cucumbers have a thin skin, and smaller seeds than regular cucumbers. The cucumber itself is also sweeter. While English cucumbers are more expensive than their regular cucumber counterparts, they tend to produce a more pleasant result for recipes that heavily feature a cucumber.
Is it okay to eat the skin of a cucumber?
Yes! The skin of a cucumber is high in dietary fiber and that is always good for you. If you find the skin to be tough or bitter, you can always try peeling off only half of the skin, leaving stripes of skin along the length of the cucumber. Not only is this pretty, it can also lesson the impact of any tough or bitter skin, while still giving you some benefit to the additional fiber.
Can I make this recipe into a Creamy Cucumber Tomato Salad?
This recipe, as written, produces a Cucumber Tomato Salad with a Lemon-Dill dressing. To make a creamy variety, simply add in 1/3 cup of sour cream or plain greek yogurt to your dressing mixture. If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other fantastic side dish salad recipes:
Easy Cucumber SaladDill Pea and Cucumber SaladCilantro Lime Orzo Pasta SaladThe Best Macaroni SaladCreamy Potato SaladGerman Potato Salad
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