The health benefits of cucumbers

Cucumbers are native to many regions in the world due to their ability to thrive in both temperate and tropical climates. However, it is believed that they originated in Western Asia or the Middle East around 2500 BC.
The worlds largest producer of cucumbers is China, followed by Iran, Egypt, Russia, Turkey, Mexico, Spain and Japan, to name but a few. Collectively their annual production of cucumbers is estimated to be around 68 million tons.

Cucumbers belong to the same family as Melons and squashes, and are technically a fruit, but are commonly considered a vegetable. Commercially there are two types of cucumbers, although many hundreds of varieties, the larger, longer ones with slightly thicker skins are known as slicing cucumbers and are meant for fresh consumption. Then there is the smaller type, with thinner skins, these are used for pickling.

The three ...