If you hold a zucchini and a cucumber in your hand, without looking at them it may be difficult for you to tell them apart. However, even though they both look the same, they are very different in terms of taste, nutritional content or consistency. Well, this difference will then show a difference in terms of the health benefits of zucchini and cucumber.
However, even though they differ in consistency and nutritional content, they are still healthy vegetables and can be included in your daily diet, and support any type of your daily diet.
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Zucchini VS Cucumber
It’s visually a bit similar, but there’s something that sets the two apart. Among them are taste, characteristics, nutrition, physique, food groups. Here we see the difference.
1. Taste
In terms of taste, zucchini is different from cucumber, zucchini has a slightly bitter taste, but if you cook it properly, you will feel the sweet taste of zucchini.
Cucumbers are cool and crunchy when eaten raw. Zucchini contains large amounts of water and this can make you feel full quickly.
2. Food Group
Actually, talking about this food grouping has been debated until now. In which group are zucchini and cucumbers actually put.
Some say that zucchini and cucumbers are fruiting plants and have seeds. Both occur from flowers which then give rise to fruit.
But there are differences where zucchini is considered and in particular as a vegetable for nutritional purposes and healthy diet. While cucumbers are flexibly referred to as fruits and vegetables.
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3. Physical Characteristics
Judging from the outer skin, there are several differences between zucchini and cucumber.
Cucumbers tend to be colder, and slippery to the touch, while zucchini is a dull and rough vegetable, it doesn’t shimmer like cucumbers.
Also, technically, zucchini is a summer vegetable, it can grow to a foot or less.
Cucumbers have a certain limit to survival, but zucchini can be harvested early and the size between the two can be ignored.
Zucchini is basically white in color, while cucumber is light green in color and has a crunchy seed tinge.
Both also look different from the shape of the seeds. Cucumber seeds are long, while zucchini seeds are shorter and wider.
Zucchini plants have woody stems, and cucumbers are not like that, they only have small, juicy stems.
4. Consistency
When raw, zucchini has a dense consistency and is not as tasty to eat raw as cucumbers. Cucumbers are crunchy and very good to eat when young.
As it grows, the zucchini fruit will be more tolerable, the color will change to brown, crispy, sweet and the flesh becomes soft and delicious when bitten.
While the cucumber has a crispy flesh, soft and easy to eat and refreshing. When ripe, the cucumber will wilt but still taste sweet and crunchy.
5. Zucchini vs cucumber nutritionally
Both zucchini and cucumber both contain important nutrients. However, zucchini generally contain higher nutrients (nutrient content).
Zucchini is slightly superior to nutrition, because it contains protein, fiber, and even contains manganese, folate, vitamin C and potassium.
Zucchini contains slightly more calories than cucumber. One cup of zucchini contains 19 calories, while one cup of cucumber contains 16 calories.
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How Are Zucchini and Cucumber Cooked?
The difference between zucchini and cucumber also lies in the way they are consumed. Usually, zucchini is consumed after cooking. While cucumbers are mostly eaten raw, although some are cooked too.
Cucumber even when cooked, it still has a crunch and sweet taste. Cucumber is also a vegetable that is popular with pickling and when eaten raw, it is considered delicious and refreshing.
Zucchini is an important vegetable in our daily menu. It tastes a bit bitter and starchy when eaten raw. Therefore, zucchini is almost always served after cooking.
There are also those who serve it in a state after being fried as zucchini crackers. You can consume zucchini instead of pasta.
When cooking these two vegetables, either cucumber or zucchini, don’t forget to leave the skin on because quite a lot of the nutrients are actually in the skin. If you want more nutrition, don’t peel the zucchini before cooking it, cook it with the skin.
