Cucumber salad is an ideal choice for hot days – it is perfect as a refreshing snack, a side dish for dinner or a delicacy during a barbecue.It is not only tasty, but also easy to prepare.It’s worth adding another ingredient..
Cucumber, which belongs to the cucumber family, has its roots in Asia.Even today, wild varieties of this plant can be found at the foot of the Himalayas.It was cultivated in India as early as three thousand years before Christ, and over time it gained popularity in Egypt, Greece and the Apennine Peninsula.In the Roman Empire, it was valued for its refreshing properties and was often consumed on hot days.
The popularity of cucumber has not decreased even over the centuries.Christopher Columbus took her seedlings on board his ships and established a crop in Haiti.Soon this juicy vegetable became popular in America. It appeared in Slovakia in the Middle Ages, when merchants from Byzantium brought it. Initially, cucumbers were grown mainly in the countryside, and the simple salads made from them were the food of the poor.Over time, however, they became known to the upper classes and became an integral part of Polish cuisine.Pickled cucumbers are still our national specialty.
Fresh cucumber salads are still very popular.In addition to the traditional misery, many tasty and refreshing dishes can be prepared with the addition of onions, peppers, avocado or ginger, enriched with various sauces.It is worth adding coriander seeds, which go well with cucumbers and add a pleasant, slightly citrus flavor to salads.
Health benefits of cucumbers and coriander
Cucumber salads are not only tasty, but also healthy.Cucumber consists of 95% water, has a low calorie content and is an excellent thirst quencher.It provides valuable nutrients, for example phenolic compounds.The flavonoids that cucumbers contain have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system by strengthening blood vessels and lowering blood pressure. Lignans, which are phytoestrogens, have anti-cancer effects, lower LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol, and ease menopausal symptoms. Cucumber is also a source of vitamin C, B vitamins, and minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium.It also has an alkalizing effect, neutralizing excess acids in the body, thereby preventing many diseases such as weakened immunity, headaches, constant fatigue and lethargy.
Coriander seeds are worth adding to cucumber salads because they not only have a delicious spicy-orange flavor and aroma, but are also rich in essential oils, especially linalool, which has anti-inflammatory, sedative, anti-fatigue and diastolic properties. This helps to improve intestinal peristalsis, stimulates the appetite and helps with abdominal pain,
