An NHS doctor has issued a stark warning about the viral “cucumber milking” trend that’s been sweeping social media.
The trend involves cutting a cucumber in half and rubbing the halves together to produce a “bitter foam”. The theory is that removing this foam will make the cucumber taste better.
However, Dr Karan Rajan, an NHS surgeon who shares health advice on TikTok, recently debunked this. He asked in a recent video: “Should you start milking your cucumbers to make them less bitter?” His answer was a resounding “no”.
Dr Karan explained that cucumbers are 95% water, with the remaining 5% consisting of a “smattering of nutrients and plant chemicals”. He revealed: “One of these happens to be a bitter chemical called cucurbitacin.”
This is the chemical responsible for the “bitter foam” produced when rubbing a cucumber, and it’s found in all gourds.
He went on to say: “These bitter compounds are actually produced by the plant as a self defence mechanism. When wounded, a bitter white froth is released to prevent animals from eating it.
“But, they’re also good for you because they have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. These bitter compounds are one of the many reasons why eating vegetables and plants is good for us.”
Dr Karan revealed that removing cucurbitacin from cucumbers before consumption means you lose many of the health benefits. He further explained that these beneficial chemicals are primarily stored in the skin or towards the end of the cucumber, meaning rubbing two halves together won’t significantly alter the flavour profile either.
Additionally, he said regular consumption of vegetables and bitter compounds will help your taste buds to “adapt” to the bitterness.