Why Is the Cucumber Called Cucumber

The cucumber is an annual vining plant of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae) and a close relative of the melon and the pumpkin. Its fruit is crisp, tender and juicy, making it a common vegetable on the dining table. It is generally believed to have originated in the region of South Asia and was introduced into the Central Plains via the Western Regions long ago. At first people called it huanggua (foreign melon), and only later did it gradually come to be known as huanggua (yellow melon).

As for the reason for the name change, the most widely circulated explanation is that a ruler in history took offense at the character for "foreign", and the foreign melon was renamed yellow melon to avoid the taboo. Others hold that when a cucumber is fully ripe, its skin turns from green to yellow, and since the ancients mostly picked and ate it in its ripe state, the name yellow melon arose from this. Each explanation has its basis, and it is also possible that both existed at the same time.

The cucumbers we eat today are mostly young fruit with emerald-green skin, so people often wonder why something clearly green is called a yellow melon. In fact, if a cucumber is left to keep growing on the vine, it will gradually turn yellow and thicken, and its texture will deteriorate as well. In other words, the name cucumber describes more what it looks like when ripe than the state in which we usually eat it.

The cucumber is highly adaptable and can be grown both in open fields and in greenhouses, and it is planted very widely in many places, where it is sometimes also called qinggua (green melon). It can be eaten raw, served cold, stir-fried, or pickled; it can be prepared in many ways and is much loved by people.