Cucumber

The Essentials

~95% water with potassium, silica, and flavonoid (a family of protective plant compounds) antioxidants — the original natural hydrator.

Persian-style snacking on whole cucumbers replaces a lot of sugary fruit calories. Mast-o khiar pairs cucumber's coolness with yogurt's probiotics — a daily gut-cooling combo.

Choose firm, unwaxed cucumbers and keep the skin for fiber and silica.

What Else to Know

In Iran, people treat cucumber as a fruit — slicing it into bowls at gatherings, dipping it in salt, blending it into doogh, or eating it whole from the market. It's roughly 95% water and brings a little electrolyte and antioxidant support too. Think of it as a natural hydrator and the starting point for two iconic Persian dishes (mast-o khiar and doogh).

Known to botanists as Cucumis sativus.