Difference between Zucchini and Cucumber
Having the same color and shape makes it often difficult for people to differentiate between cucumber and zucchini. Many people think that zucchini is the same as cucumber. In fact, the two vegetables are different.
If zucchini and cucumber are placed side by side, you will definitely find it difficult to differentiate between the two. That’s why many people ask what is the difference between zucchini and cucumber?
You can tell the difference between zucchini and cucumber from the moment you touch them. Cucumbers have a firm texture and are cool to the touch, while zucchini tends to be warmer with a slightly gritty texture.
Once you cut them, you will find that cucumbers tend to have more of a green tinge on the inside. Meanwhile zucchini is relatively paler. Cucumbers also tend to be cooler and crunchier when bitten, unlike zucchini.
And of course cucumbers are usually used raw, while zucchini is more often cooked by people. You might also see cucumbers as a salad mixture, while zucchini most likely cannot be used as a salad.
The difference between zucchini and cucumber
The following are the differences between the two, the calculations increase your knowledge!
- Taste
Raw cucumber has a mild, slightly sweet taste, has a refreshing impression due to its high water content and has a crunchy texture.
Meanwhile, zucchini has a better taste and is slightly bitter.
When cooked, zucchini can maintain its shape while cucumber can maintain its crunchy texture.
Keep in mind that we can eat the flowers on zucchini while we cannot eat the flowers on cucumbers.
- Nutrition
100 grams of zucchini contains 17 calories, while cucumber contains 15 calories with the skin, and 12 calories without the skin.
The part of cucumber that contains the most nutrients is the skin, which contains fiber and the antioxidant beta-carotene.
Zucchini has a higher content of Vitamin B, Vitamin C, iron, potassium, protein and fiber than cucumber.
- Usage
People usually process cucumbers for pickling or canning, but most people use raw cucumbers as fresh vegetables, vegetable filling in sandwiches or salads, and add them to water which functions as a detoxifier.
The way to process zucchini is by cooking or baking. Although people can eat zucchini raw, zucchini tends to be tastier if it goes through the grilling and frying process.
Apart from using it as a vegetable, people can process zucchini into a form of noodles popularly known as zoodles. Additionally you can add grated zucchini to breads and muffins. And there are many more dishes that use zucchini.
- Plants
The distance between each cucumber plant is three feet, and grows in a vine and hanging manner.
Unlike cucumbers, zucchini plants are spaced two feet apart per plant and do not grow in vines but stick out from the stem and form small bushes.
The ideal size zucchini to pick is seven inches long and no more than two inches in diameter. When past the ideal size, zucchini plants will become too big and have a shabby impression.
