Not-very-scientific Straw Poll - Cucumbers.

locum-motion

Please complete the question BEFORE uncovering the spoilers!

1.

Many, many years ago, either in school or college, I learned that there is a recessive gene that determines whether you like or dislike cucumbers - much like blue eyes. My recollection is that there is a chemical that we can either taste or not taste, and the approx 25% of people who can think cucumber is vile, while the 75% who can't think it's OK.

2.

Some years later, I did a bit of reading on the subject, and at that time I learned about

'supertasters'.

If I recall what I read at that time correctly, 25% are 'supertasters', 25% can't taste it at all, and the other 50% are in between. So, this sort of confirmed my memories from a few years previously, but not entirely. Also, at that time, I would first have learned about the chemical

Phenothiocarbamide (PTC)

, which is structurally related to chemicals found in foods and also to the drug Propylthiouracil (PROP), and it is probably some relative of PTC that is the mystery chemical I mentioned in the first spoiler.

3.

However, twice in recent weeks I've found myself having the "If-you-do-a-poll,-you'll-find-that-25%-of-people-hate-cucumber" conversation, which of course, nobody ever believes. So, tonight I came back to the internet to refresh my memory, and although several links talk about supertasters, PTC, PROP and the genetic predisposition, none seem to mention cucumbers in particular.

4. So, here's a not-very-scientific poll to find out if the numbers stack up the way I think they will.
Also, is anyone here knowledgeable in this area?
Is my memory correct but the science has moved on so that what I thought was true is no longer thought to be true?
Or is my memory faulty?

Comments welcome.

locum-motion

Thanks for answering in the poll, folks, but do any of you have any comments to make?

Dingle_berry

locum-motion wrote: »

Thanks for answering in the poll, folks, but do any of you have any comments to make?

Eye colour, including blue, is a polymorphic trait that doesn't follow Mendelian (recessive / dominant) genetics

Also anything with that watery taste is rotten: cucumber, melon, celery, dragon fruit, etc but cucumber is especially heinous, if you pick it out of a sandwich or salad you can still taste it. Bleurgh!

Icemancometh

Absolutely vile. To the point where I remember restaurants which have cucumber less side salads as a huge positive. Like Dingle berry, I can still taste it once removed; a cucumber in a salad is my curate's egg.

huskerdu

Meh - Cucumbers have a mild flavour or no flavour, but I don't like them.

My Dad hates cucumbers and my mother has been telling us that it is genetic EVERY SINGLE TIME that they encounter a cucumber in a restaurant, or someone else's house. I once suggested serving cucumber in my parents houses as my kids like them and don't like other salad stuff. She acted like I was going to forcefeed peanut butter to someone with a peanut allergy.

I often wondered if it was true, but I don't think I could face another conversation about it.

Thanks for listening,

Tree

Bleuuugh - Cucumbers taste absolutely vile.

The research on coriander variant tasting in 2012 was interseting to me at the time. http://www.nature.com/news/soapy-taste-of-coriander-linked-to-genetic-variants-1.11398

Vorsprung

I ****ing hate courgettes too. And gherkins. The one drawback of a sneaky 2 euro double cheeseburger on the way home late at night is the persistent taste of gherkins, even after I take them off.

Dingle_berry

Oddly enough I like pickles/gherkins on my burger Has anyone published research on the effect of pH on the flavour molecules of cucumbers?

locum-motion

Dingle_berry wrote: »

Oddly enough I like pickles/gherkins on my burger Has anyone published research on the effect of pH on the flavour molecules of cucumbers?

There was something about that alright when I was searching the net the other day.

MrCreosote

Meh - Cucumbers have a mild flavour or no flavour, but I don't like them.

Cucumber spears dunked in Nutella is the food of kings...yum!

I'm going to have some right now in fact!

Tree

Bleuuugh - Cucumbers taste absolutely vile.

MrCreosote wrote: »

Cucumber spears dunked in Nutella is the food of kings...yum!

I'm going to have some right now in fact!

There is something wrong with you

Vorsprung

MrCreosote wrote: »

Cucumber spears dunked in Nutella is the food of kings...yum!

I'm going to have some right now in fact!

Jesus!

Marcusm

I like cucumber; my favourite ways to consume it are in sandwiches with salad cream (nice tang to offset the cucumber) and in a cocktail with Hendrick's gin, cucumber juice and elderflower.

Deenie123

Hmmmm - Cucumbers have a mild flavour or no flavour, but I like them.

cucumbers

Adore them. Perfect in a sandwich with some tuna. Lovely on their own. Great with cheese. Love pickles, too. Not so mad on courgette, though.

RobFowl

Meh - Cucumbers have a mild flavour or no flavour, but I don't like them.

I love cucumbers, more for the texture than taste which to me is neutral. My wife thinks they taste terrible but not bitter as I understood true "tasters" do.
Both my kids eat them without too much complaint.

ProfessorPlum

Meh - Cucumbers have a mild flavour or no flavour, but I don't like them.

Marcusm wrote: »

I like cucumber; my favourite ways to consume it are in sandwiches with salad cream (nice tang to offset the cucumber) and in a cocktail with Hendrick's gin, cucumber juice and elderflower.

+1 to the gin. I'm a person with simple tastes, so just add the cucumber to the gin and tonic for me. That's got to count as one of your 'five a day'. And with the anti malarial advantages, it surely must count as a superfood too.

Pretzill

Hmmmm - Cucumbers have a mild flavour or no flavour, but I like them.

I'm in the yum yum category - I like the flavour of cucumber and pickled cucumber - home grown short varieties have a stronger flavour than the shop bought ones.

I can't see it being a trait though more nurture than nature and possibly a throwback to my salad days (literally) when they were seasonal and bulked out a rather unadventurous salad - butterball lettuce, a scallion, a tomato and a few crunchy slices of cucumber - oh and a radish (there's another veggie bound to split the yay or nay pack!)

locum-motion

There was an interesting segment about supertasters etc on the Ray D'Arcy Show on TodayFM this morning. Basically Ray had a Professor of the Human Senses or some such on with him, along with a guy who was trying different chillis. Cucumber gets a mention at about 15 minutes.

http://www.todayfm.com/player/podcasts/The_Ray_DArcy_Show/Ray_DArcy_Show/24433/0/chili_testing__live_on_air

The_Captain

Meh - Cucumbers have a mild flavour or no flavour, but I don't like them.

Only 21.5% find it vile.

Turns out OP was talking nonsense

Greenmachine

Meh - Cucumbers have a mild flavour or no flavour, but I don't like them.

Cucumber have a really nuetral taste for me, I also like gherkins, strangely I can't stand courgettes.

locum-motion

The_Captain wrote: »

Only 21.5% find it vile.

Turns out OP was talking nonsense

Ah, wait a while. Wait til the sample is bigger!

Alun

Meh - Cucumbers have a mild flavour or no flavour, but I don't like them.

Greenmachine wrote: »

Cucumber have a really nuetral taste for me, ...

Same here, they don't really taste of very much at all to me, a bit like water melon.

Tree

Bleuuugh - Cucumbers taste absolutely vile.

locum-motion wrote: »

Ah, wait a while. Wait til the sample is bigger!

ah now, you're at 74 replies, if the stats change massively I'll question your recruitment method :P

jace_da_face

I have become a great fan of cucumber. I didn't start out that way but now I enjoy them very much but only as an accompaniment to other foods such as salad, hummus with crackers, falafel etc. I think it was a Turkish dish I once ate in Germany that really turned me on to cucumbers.

Interesting tidbit: my dog loves cucumbers. I though it was odd when I first realised she did but have since googled it and it appears dogs do love it. She won't eat other raw vegetables but cucumber is one of her favourite treats and a healthy one at that.

Graces7

Bleuuugh - Cucumbers taste absolutely vile.

MrCreosote wrote: »

Cucumber spears dunked in Nutella is the food of kings...yum!

I'm going to have some right now in fact!

The only possible excuse or rationale for this would be pregnancy but with your username.....;)

Graces7

Bleuuugh - Cucumbers taste absolutely vile.

I think it was Robert Browning or one of his contemporaries who wrote re how to prepare cucumbers.....slice thinly, soak in vinegar then throw the whole dish away..

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Hmmmm - Cucumbers have a mild flavour or no flavour, but I like them.

I always loved cucumber and will still eat it whole and unsliced. Its one of very few foods I will add salt to.
I can never understand people peeling cucumber.

Trent Houseboat

I can't even be in the same room as someone slicing a cucumber.
Melons can fúck off too.

For some reason I love a pickled gherkin.