Culture

Food History

Yes, Cucumbers Used To Look Way Different Than They Do Now By Alexa Valme Nov. 3, 2025 4:39 pm EST

Anwar Attar/Getty Images

The cucumbers stacked neatly in grocery bins today are a far cry from their earliest ancestors. It's actually one of the many vegetables (or fruits, depending on who you ask) that used to look very different . Thousands of years ago, their wild relative, cucumis hardwickii, grew near the foothills of the Himalayas. It was small, round, and covered in sharp spines, more like a prickly melon than the smooth, crisp vegetable we know. Archeologists believe people began cultivating it roughly 11,000 years ago, long before anyone thought to toss it into a salad.

In its wild form, the cucumber was hardly appetizing. It carried an intense

See Full Page