Cool down with cucumber

Scientists have confirmed that there’s only one filling when the heat is on

India, 1870. Struggling to cope with the relentless heat, a group of British Army officers take refuge in a tea house. To help them cool down, they order a quintessential English dish: crustless, dainty sandwiches containing paper-thin slices of cucumber. To drink, a steaming pot of freshly brewed Darjeeling tea.

It’s not what most of us associate with refreshment on a hot day. But when the British colonised the Indian subcontinent in the late 19th century, they brought cucumber sandwiches – popular among the upper classes back home – to the Raj. They found that the combination of succulent cucumber and buttery bread was more than just a taste of home: it helped them keep cool in the sweltering heat.

So it’s no surprise that the cucumber sandwich has been named the world’s coolest food. According to scientists from the American Chemical Society, it is the best thing to eat to regulate our body temperature and avoid dehydration during a heatwave. And it works even better washed down with a cup of tea.

Foods we might expect to quench our thirst – such as ice cream or chilled water – are less effective, says Sara Risch, a researcher for the society. This is because cold foods send parts of our body into shock, causing them to shut down and our temperatures to shoot up. Juicy fruit and vegetables, by contrast – like cucumber, watermelon and celery – have a high water content and natural cooling properties.

So what makes the cucumber sandwich so special? Although cucumbers originated in India more than 3,000 years ago, putting them in a sandwich is very much a British invention. The crops arrived in England in the late 14th century, but they weren’t put in sandwiches until the Victorian era, when they were served during afternoon tea. Because of its low nutritional value (cucumbers are 95 per cent water), the dish was popular among the upper classes as a pre-dinner snack; the lower classes preferred not to waste energy on something with so little protein.

Traditionalists won’t be happy. They like them the British way: juicy portions of cucumber, gently dried of excess water, sprinkled with salt and a dash of lemon juice, and served between two triangular slices of lightly buttered white bread. Crusts off, of course – and never any mayo, although perhaps a drizzle of olive oil. It’s the fresh, zingy taste of English summertime contained in a single bite.

And the real reason it’s so refreshing? Sir Compton MacKenzie, the writer and 

Scottish Nationalist, had his own explanation. He described a typical British tea party as follows: “You are offered a piece of bread and butter that feels like a damp handkerchief – and sometimes, when cucumber is added to it, like a wet one.”

http://uk.lifestyle.yahoo.com/as-cool-as-a-cucumber-sandwich.html