Gherkin

Gherkin
Gherkin
Gherkins.jpg
Details
Species Cucumis sativus
Cultivar Gherkin

The gherkin is a vegetable similar in form and nutritional value to a cucumber. Gherkins and cucumbers belong to the same species (Cucumis sativus), but are from different cultivar groups.

They are usually picked when 4 to 8 cm (1 to 3 in) in length and pickled in jars or cans with vinegar (often flavored with herbs, particularly dill; hence, "dill pickle") or brine to resemble a pickled cucumber. Most gherkins used in the United States are made into the sweet variety, the small tasty kind commonly seen on Thanksgiving relish trays in the US, along with baby corn.

The term can also be used to refer to the West Indian Burr Gherkin (Cucumis anguria), a related species, originally from West Africa and introduced to the West Indies, probably by the Portuguese.[1] The Burr Gherkin, or badunga, cannot interbreed with the aforementioned Gherkin. It is edible and may be pickled, but must be picked when no longer than 4 centimetres (1.6 in) long, since it becomes bitter and spiny if allowed to grow larger.

Pickled gherkins are served to accompany other foods, often in sandwiches. They were associated with Central European and, occasionally, Eastern European cuisine, but are now found more widely. Sometimes also called a cornichon (the French word for gherkin), they have historically also been called horned cucumbers, crumplings, and guerkins.[1] The gherkins sold in pickle mixtures are not C. anguria but rather are small pickled immature fruits of cultivars of the cucumber (C. sativus). A true gherkin has palmately lobed leaves with toothed edges, small flowers, and furrowed, prickly fruits about five centimetres (two inches) long that are borne on crooked stalks. Although its fruit is also pickled, the plant is frequently grown only as a curiosity.

References


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Gherkin — Gher kin (g[ e]r k[i^]n), n. [D. agurkje, a dim. akin to G. gurke, Dan. agurke; cf. Pol. og[ o]rek, Bohem. okurka, LGr. aggoy rion watermelon, Ar. al khiy[=a]r, Per. khiy[=a]r.] [1913 Webster] 1. (Bot.) A kind of small, prickly cucumber, much… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • gherkin — small cucumber used for pickling, 1660s, from early modern Du. gurken, augurken (late 16c.) small pickled cucumber, from E.Fris. augurk cucumber, probably from a Balto Slavic source (Cf. Polish ogórek cucumber ), possibly ultimately from Medieval …   Etymology dictionary

  • gherkin — ► NOUN ▪ a small pickled cucumber. ORIGIN Dutch gurkje, from Greek angourion cucumber …   English terms dictionary

  • gherkin — [gʉr′kin] n. [< Du or LowG gurken, cucumber < Pol ogórek < ModGr angouri < LGr angourion, watermelon < Pers angārah] 1. a plant (Cucumis anguria) of the gourd family bearing small, prickly, cucumberlike fruit 2. the fruit of this… …   English World dictionary

  • Gherkin — 30 St Mary Axe (Swiss Re Tower) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • gherkin — /gerr kin/, n. 1. the small, immature fruit of a variety of cucumber, used in pickling. 2. Also called bur gherkin, West Indian gherkin. the small, spiny fruit of a tropical vine, Cucumis anguria, of the gourd family, used in pickling. 3. the… …   Universalium

  • Gherkin — 30 St Mary Axe 41° 24′ 13″ N 2° 11′ 22″ E / 41.4035, 2.189583 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • gherkin — UK [ˈɡɜː(r)kɪn] / US [ˈɡɜrkɪn] noun [countable] Word forms gherkin : singular gherkin plural gherkins a small green vegetable preserved in vinegar and eaten cold with meals …   English dictionary

  • gherkin — [17] Etymologically, a gherkin may be a ‘little unripe one’. The word was borrowed from an assumed early Dutch *gurkkijn, a diminutive form of gurk, which probably came from Lithuanian agurkas. This in turn goes back via Polish ogurek to medieval …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • gherkin — paprastasis agurkas statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Moliūginių šeimos augalas (Cucumis sativus), paplitęs atogrąžų Azijoje. atitikmenys: lot. Cucumis sativus; Cucumis sativus var. anatolicus; Cucumis sativus var. anglicus; Cucumis sativus… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

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