# Aversion to cucumber and melon? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 31, 2011, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aversion-to-cucumber-and-melon/601426 "2011-10-31T20:57:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aversion-to-cucumber-and-melon/601426/21 "2011-11-05T07:39:55Z")
I don’t like cucumber and don’t care for watermelon, and I understand the “Poison!!” reaction you speak of: I get that from _pinenuts_ of all things. The horror-filled moment when my senses realise there are pinenuts in my mouth and the internal clanging alarm bells of “Poison! Poison! Poison” leave me acutely embarrassed. It makes no sense. ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aversion-to-cucumber-and-melon/601426/22 "2011-11-05T08:14:43Z")
Some cucumbers and zucchinis are very bitter because they’ve gone bad ([Home - Indiana Yard and Garden - Purdue Consumer HorticulturePurdue University Indiana Yard and Garden – Purdue Consumer Horticulture](http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/bittercukes.html)); generally ends are bitter. Sometimes it is difficult to find good non-bitter cucumbers. Cucumbers are one of my favorite vegetables but even I can’t eat the bitter ones. I’m not quite sure whether you guys ate some bad/bitter cucumbers or you find even good cucumbers bitter. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aversion-to-cucumber-and-melon/601426/23 "2011-11-05T08:32:41Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > They seem to lose this flavor when cooked, though. Ah, I’ve only seen them raw. In Spain they’re usually _curados_ (sliced up, salted, then let rest - this makes them less bitter), but I don’t think I’ve ever encountered them cooked. Cucumbers, melons, watermelons and cantaloupe are all members of the cucurbitacean family. I can stand some members when cooked or pickled, but cucumbers taste very bitter and unagreeable even when _curados_, melon tastes like cucumber (and not only when my melon-loving relatives claim it’s “cucumbery” - to me, it only stops tasting like cucumber when it’s so mellow it’s turning to mush, and then I hate the texture); watermelon is sweet water on a spongy support. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aversion-to-cucumber-and-melon/601426/24 "2011-11-05T08:44:53Z")
I have no problem with cucumbers or melons (in fact I like both). But I find raw tomatoes bitter. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aversion-to-cucumber-and-melon/601426/25 "2011-11-05T15:51:09Z")
Out of curiosity, do you like cilantro? I’ve heard that liking or hating it has a genetic component related to begin able or not being able to taste one (or possibly more) of the chemicals in it. ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aversion-to-cucumber-and-melon/601426/26 "2011-11-05T16:16:51Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I find raw tomatoes bitter. I’ve never heard of this also… so there must be something to these phenomenon. BTW I know at least on Chinese dish that has cooked cucumber in it. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aversion-to-cucumber-and-melon/601426/27 "2011-11-05T16:37:26Z")
> [@brittekland](#): > > Some cucumbers and zucchinis are very bitter because they’ve gone bad ([http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/bittercukes.html](http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/bittercukes.html)); generally ends are bitter. Sometimes it is difficult to find good non-bitter cucumbers. Cucumbers are one of my favorite vegetables but even I can’t eat the bitter ones. I’m not quite sure whether you guys ate some bad/bitter cucumbers or you find even good cucumbers bitter. I’ve been told that cucumbers from a male flower taste very bitter. I tried one which was said to be male and it _was_ horrible. Otherwise I am a lover of cucumber and find it pleasantly, if subtly flavoured. When it comes to the brassica family I like most of them – I actually love brussels sprouts – but can’t abide anything a darker green than the inside of a savoy cabbage. I also hate spinach, nasty bitter leathery leaves, ugh! ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aversion-to-cucumber-and-melon/601426/28 "2011-11-05T19:53:29Z")
> [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](#): > > I’ve been told that cucumbers from a male flower taste very bitter. I tried one which was said to be male and it _was_ horrible. Is this even possible? AFAIK the seeds in flowering dioecious plants always develop in the female. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aversion-to-cucumber-and-melon/601426/29 "2011-11-05T19:58:27Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > Out of curiosity, do you like cilantro? I’ve heard that liking or hating it has a genetic component related to begin able or not being able to taste one (or possibly more) of the chemicals in it. I like cilantro okay. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aversion-to-cucumber-and-melon/601426/30 "2011-11-05T20:42:43Z")
Squashes, melons, and cukes are all members of the cucurbit family, so it stands to reason they contain similar compounds and if you hate one you’d be more likely to hate the others. My gardening books all say these plants can cross-pollinate and cause seriously bitter fruits if you don’t keep them well-separated. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aversion-to-cucumber-and-melon/601426/31 "2011-11-05T23:37:43Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > Is this even possible? AFAIK the seeds in flowering dioecious plants always develop in the female. Well I wasn’t sure but youi don’t argue with the guy making you dinner when he’s standing in his own polytunnel 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aversion-to-cucumber-and-melon/601426/32 "2011-11-06T00:00:57Z")
Oh man, I will gladly throw myself on the grenade of eating all the cantaloupe you guys don’t want. It’s on my list of foods I can never buy because I WILL eat the entire cantaloupe in one go and make myself horribly sick, no matter how old I get. Cucumbers I usually eat for the crunch but a nicely ripened cucumber has a sublime flavor. I’m definitely not a supertaster. ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aversion-to-cucumber-and-melon/601426/33 "2011-11-06T02:02:46Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > nicely ripened cucumber has a sublime flavor.. I’m partial to young cucumbers because they are completely tender and crispier. When seeds start form the skin gets darker and tougher the fresh loses a lot of crispiness. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aversion-to-cucumber-and-melon/601426/34 "2011-11-06T02:51:09Z")
> [@CrazyCatLady](#): > > Squashes, melons, and cukes are all members of the cucurbit family, so it stands to reason they contain similar compounds and if you hate one you’d be more likely to hate the others. I hate all three- now I know why. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aversion-to-cucumber-and-melon/601426/35 "2011-11-06T04:50:10Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > You wouldn’t say that if you’d tasted my penne with bacon and cucumbers, which invariably garners raves. Cucumbers absorb the taste of whatever they’re with–in that case, the bacon and seasonings in my recipe, but more usually the salad dressing or pickling brine. > > To the OP, do you react this way to cukes when they are skinned? The skin is where most of the bitterness is. What a horrible thing to which to subject bacon or penne. Cucumber does not absorb other flavors; it taints everything it touches. And it is not the skin. I have been stuck in a room with peeled cukes, desperately looking for ways to politely escape. I have been subjected to the “it has no flavor or odor” trope, as well. Most of my unbelieving friends finally recognized that I was not making it up when a bowl of cukes were removed from a fridge and set down at a table ten feet behind me and I immediately commented on the smell. OTOH, I have no problem with pickles, I like watermelon, and I love cantaloupe. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aversion-to-cucumber-and-melon/601426/36 "2011-11-06T04:52:24Z")
> [@brittekland](#): > > I’m partial to young cucumbers because they are completely tender and crispier. When seeds start form the skin gets darker and tougher the fresh loses a lot of crispiness. I said nicely ripened, not over-ripened. Although, I have a propensity for ripeness in my fruits and veggies. I cannot stomach bananas that are even faintly green. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aversion-to-cucumber-and-melon/601426/37 "2011-11-06T06:56:21Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > What a horrible thing to which to subject bacon or penne. > > Cucumber does not absorb other flavors; it taints everything it touches. And it is not the skin. I have been stuck in a room with peeled cukes, desperately looking for ways to politely escape. Hmmm…I think now I’ll start experimenting with cooked lettuce and exhibiting the results at the next World Exposition…muwahahahahaha!!! ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aversion-to-cucumber-and-melon/601426/38 "2011-11-06T13:25:02Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Cucumber does not absorb other flavors; it\*\* taints \*\*everything it touches. Cucumber “adds/introduces” freshness, rather than “flavors”, to otherwise meaty or starchy dishes but I guess that depends on whether you can tolerate cucumber. One of our family’s traditional side dish is cold mashed potatoes with extremely thinly sliced cucumber and onion (along with butter, mayo, salt and pepper to taste; mix them into hot mashed potatoes and let it cool). ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aversion-to-cucumber-and-melon/601426/39 "2011-11-06T22:34:17Z")
I honestly didn’t know there were people with such anti-cucumbrist sentiments, because they don’t seem to have any strong flavor of their own. After all, it’s not like we’re taling about spinach or broccoli. OTOH I have heard of people whose digestions cannot tolerate them very well. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aversion-to-cucumber-and-melon/601426/40 "2011-11-06T22:49:20Z")
> [@CrazyCatLady](#): > > Squashes, melons, and cukes are all members of the cucurbit family, so it stands to reason they contain similar compounds and if you hate one you’d be more likely to hate the others. Yup. It’s probably the [cucurbitacins](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbitacin) that cuke/squash/melon haters are having problems with. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aversion-to-cucumber-and-melon/601426.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aversion-to-cucumber-and-melon/601426.md?page=3)