The Flavour Thesaurus by Niki Segnit

Author:Niki Segnit
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Bloomsbury UK
Published: 2010-06-21T04:00:00+00:00

Cucumber

Russ Parsons, the Los Angeles Times food editor, notes that cucumber varieties are of more interest to the gardener than the cook: they all have the same distinctive green aroma and flavour that we recognise, logically enough, as cucumber-like. Even the lemon cucumber, which is yellow and lemon-sized, is named after its visual resemblance to the fruit rather than any discernible lemon flavour. Any differences that do exist between varieties generally boil down to levels of bitterness, and crispness on the teeth. The texture and refreshing cleanness of cucumber clearly lend themselves to garnishes and salads, but try pairing it with sour ingredients to knock the bitterness back a bit – goat’s cheese, yogurt and dill all make cucumber shine, as does vinegar. Pickled cucumbers, gherkins, cornichons and dill spears are indispensable with fatty pâtés, charcuterie and heavy sandwiches. Borage, which is also covered in this chapter, is a cucumber-flavoured herb that can be used in salads, to flavour alcoholic cordials or as a garnish in drinks.

Cucumber & Anise: A study in 1998 by the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago concluded that of a range of scents, women found a combination of cucumber and a liquorice-flavoured confectionery the most arousing. Canny suitors may thus dispense with the scented candles and serve fish with a simple salad of cucumber and fennel. To find out what fragrance men liked the most, see Butternut Squash & Rosemary, *.

Cucumber & Avocado: See Avocado & Cucumber*

Cucumber & Caper: See Caper & Cucumber*

Cucumber & Carrot: These make a terrific pairing in a fast pickle for serving with a piece of chargrilled chicken and sticky rice or in a spectacular sandwich. Cut a large carrot and a quarter of a cucumber into fat matchsticks. In a sieve, sprinkle them with 1 tsp salt and leave for 5–10 minutes before rinsing, gently squeezing them dry, and mixing with 4 tbsp rice wine vinegar and 1–2 tbsp sugar. Keep in the fridge until needed. Drain before using. You have to try these in a bành mì, the house speciality of Nicky’s Vietnamese Sandwiches in New York and an ingenious mixture of indigenous and colonial French ingredients. You can make one at home by spreading mayonnaise and a good amount of (non-herby) pork pâté into a baguette (along with some sliced cooked pork too, if you like) and heating it through in the oven. Once it’s nice and hot, stuff the sandwich with the pickle and a thicket of fresh coriander. Some people paint the inside of the bread with an oil, soy and fish sauce mixture before filling. Don’t stint on the pickle: as well as giving the sandwich its deeply satisfying crunch, it freshens up the heavy meat with its sweet-and-sour liveliness. See also Cinnamon & Pork*.

Cucumber & Cumin: See Cumin & Cucumber*

Cucumber & Dill: When I first lived in America, I was surprised to find sandwiches accompanied by a stubby green pickled cucumber, shiny in its foil like a miniature zeppelin. It tasted

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