cucumbers vs. Pickles - What's the difference?

The most popular pickles around the world are made with cucumbers, but that doesn’t make these two very different foods the same.

What is the difference? Both are crunchy, nutrient-packed, and delicious, but cucumbers are tasty fresh green fruits that are often eaten raw and are called vegetables, while pickles can include anything that has been preserved through a natural fermentation process or using a vinegar brine.

In the rest of this article, we will clarify what exactly is a cucumber and what is a pickle, explaining all the differences and how they are achieved.

What are cucumbers?

Cucumbers begin life as a creeping vine, growing close to the ground or up and around support frames. The vine has large leaves that form a roof over the wrinkled, cylindrical fruit. They can grow up to 60cm in length, but are generally considered perfect to eat at half that size, or even smaller. 

Botanically, the cucumber is classified as a fruit because it grows from a flower and contains seeds. Most people consider it a vegetable because of the way it is eaten and combined with other vegetables commonly misclassified as fruits, especially tomatoes.

There are many different types of cucumbers, including those made for slicing or pickling, and even burr-free varieties.

Many people find that they have more gas than usual after eating cucumbers. This is due to a chemical called cucurbitacin, which also increases the bitter taste. You can find cucumbers specially grown without this compound and called “burpless” for this reason.

Sliced cucumbers, like the ones you would grow in your garden, are the most common. They are usually sold and eaten slightly immature, because the older they get, the more bitter and sour they become.

The most common rindless cucumbers are also considered cutting cucumbers - the English cucumber.  They have a thinner skin, which makes them easier to digest, and they taste slightly sweeter.

These cucumbers are usually grown in a greenhouse to protect their fragile skin. You’ll usually find them wrapped in a layer of shrink-wrap, also to protect their skin, and they’ll probably be labeled seedless or burr-free.

Any cucumber can be pickled, but pickling cucumbers get their name because they are especially useful for pickling.  They are shorter, thicker, and more irregularly shaped than cutting cucumbers, and often have bumpy skin. Gherkins and Kirby cucumbers are common pickling fruits.

What is pickle?

Pickling is one of the most popular ways of preserving food throughout history. Pickled foods can be kept for months after the expiration date.

There are two different ways to make pickles: with vinegar or with salt fermentation.

How to pickle cucumbers with vinegar

Pickling with vinegar is quick and fairly easy, creating crisp, juicy pickles in just a few hours. The use of a highly acidic liquid is what preserves the fresh fruit or vegetable , as it kills any potentially harmful microorganisms that may be living in or on your food.

This style is also sometimes called a quick pickle or fridge pickle.  The brine requires white vinegar, salt, and water. Some pickles also add their own spices, herbs, or other flavorings. Garlic and dill are very popular, as are peppercorns or sugar.

White vinegar is preferred because it is clear and will not affect the color of the final pickle , and there is a special pickling salt that is ideal because it does not have any added anti-caking agents, which also creates a clear final brine and lovely looking pickle .

How to pickle cucumbers with salt

The second method of pickling is the fermentation of fresh foods. Healthy, naturally occurring bacteria eat the sugar in your fruit or vegetable, or added sugar in some cases, and slowly ferment the food until it tastes like the spicy pickles we’re used to.

Fermentation may seem debatable, but it is one of the most traditional means of preserving food , it is incredibly healthy thanks to the friendly bacteria that are present, and it is also delicious.

This type of pickling is traditional because it only requires that the food be pickled with salt and water.

And of course something to hold the pickles. It takes a little longer to get the best keeping and flavor, but it’s well worth the commitment.

How to Make Kosher Dill Pickles:

Kosher foods are items that are prepared according to traditional Jewish law.  The word itself means pure, suitable, or fit for consumption.

In general, fruits and vegetables in their natural state are kosher, although insects are not. As soon as they are processed, they must meet the specific requirements for food preparation, that is, they do not come into contact with any equipment used for the preparation of meat or dairy products.

Pickles must, under most circumstances, meet the requirements for a kosher food; however, within Jewish culture, pickling food is especially popular, so it is critical to ensure that fruits and vegetables do not cross-contaminate with meat.

Additionally, Jewish pickles follow a very specific process and recipe that ferments the pickles in a salt brine, typically flavored with garlic and dill. Many non-kosher pickle makers pickle their fruits and vegetables in vinegar, which is often made with wine and is not kosher.

I highly recommend watching this CookingGuide tutorial on YouTube for the best kosher pickle recipe.

What can be pickled?

The most common foods that are pickled are fruits, vegetables, fish, and eggs.

Pickling is best done with fresh foods, but other than that, there aren’t many rules when it comes to pickling. You can pickle any vegetable you like and it can be any thickness or shape, but most often use small items or slice your food thinly for quick results and more even flavor.

There are probably almost as many types of pickles as there are edible plants, since you can bet someone has tried pickling just about everything at some point. Obviously some are more popular than others.

Cucumber is by far the most common pickle . Pickled cucumbers go by many names: dill, baby, sweet or bread and butter, gherkins, cornichons, and Kosher. Baby gherkins simply refer to tiny-sized cucumbers, while dill or bread and butter refers to the type of flavoring used to make the gherkin.

Kosher gherkins are made to conform to Jewish customs, and cornichon is simply the French word for gherkin . However, the difference between gherkin and pickle is more controversial. A gherkin is a very specific type of cucumber, which is picked young for the specific purpose of pickling it.

Cucumber and Gherkin Nutrition Facts and Facts

Both cucumbers and gherkins are surprisingly nutritious, but each have unique benefits for your health.

Cucumber Benefits

Cucumbers are a very popular weight loss food because they are high in water, which helps the dieter feel like they are eating, but not consuming a ton of calories.

There is even a cucumber diet, which we do not recommend, which suggests substituting almost all plant foods for cucumber and eating it almost exclusively with protein.

Cucumbers do have some nutrition, but certainly not enough to replace all other fruits and vegetables, although it may or may not help you lose weight in the short term.

Cucumbers do have a variety of good antioxidants, and their water content helps keep you feeling satiated and refreshed.

These two factors alone are the main benefits of cucumber juice, which can be added to any smoothie or juice to dilute a thick liquid with more flavor and nutrients than plain water.

Are pickles good for you?

Gherkins and other pickles are arguably even more beneficial to your health than fresh cucumbers, especially if made by fermentation.

When fruits and vegetables are fermented, they harbor an undetectable colony of healthy bacteria, which can improve the environment in your gut.

These types of probiotic foods have been shown to help with everything from improving insulin sensitivity to reducing cancer risk.

Pickles made with vinegar are still healthy, although they are not considered probiotics . They simply convey the benefits of the vinegar and the vitamins and minerals contained in the pickled food.

When you eat pickles, you should pay attention to the sodium content. Although sodium is an essential mineral, anyone following a Standard American Diet (SAD) or Western Pattern Diet (WPD) is likely consuming too much sodium on a daily basis, so eat pickles in moderation.

Related questions

Is a cucumber a fruit or a vegetable?

Cucumber is a fruit , although it is one of the lowest ranked plants because it is used as a vegetable and it is not as sweet as many people think fruits are.

When classifying plants, any edible plant that grows from a flower and contains seeds inside is considered a fruit. Vegetables, on the other hand, are a part of the plant itself, such as roots, stems, or even leaves.

What are the benefits of eating cucumber at night?

Snacking at night while you relax watching TV or reading a book is very common, although it can be hard on your body.  Digestion takes a lot of work, so eating shortly before trying to sleep can keep you awake and interfere with your quality of sleep.

Not only that, but many people will make poor decisions about the quality of their late-night snacks when their willpower is depleted.

Cucumbers to the rescue! Cucumbers are 95% water, which can help absorb and cleanse the body of toxins, as well as help curb hunger.  They’re easy on the stomach, so they shouldn’t interfere with your sleep, and they have a really satisfying crunch factor.