West Indian Gherkin

Cucumis anguria is a trailing annual vine with deeply lobed leaves, small yellow flowers and egg-shaped fruit about 4 to 7 cm long. The fruit is pale green to yellowish and covered in soft spines. Inside, the pulp is pale and watery, with many small, flat, creamy-white seeds like those of a cucumber, and the seeds are eaten along with the flesh. The flavour is mild and grassy, similar to cucumber but with a slight tang, and the texture is crisp. The fruit is sold fresh, pickled, or canned, and seeds are sold for planting.

The species is native to southern Africa, and it was carried to the Americas by the slave trade, in which it became established in the Caribbean and Brazil, hence the name West Indian gherkin, even though it did not originate there. It also grows in tropical Asia and Australia, where it is a naturalised plant. The genus name Cucumis is Latin for cucumber, and anguria is from the Greek word for watermelon or cucumber. The Portuguese name maxixe is widely used in Brazil.

Botanists generally trace the West Indian gherkin to southern Africa, where a bitter wild relative, Cucumis anguria var. longaculeatus, grows. Selection of less bitter forms led to the cultivated plant, which probably travelled to the Americas in the 1600s, with enslaved Africans bringing seeds, and soon established itself in Caribbean gardens and Brazilian kitchens.

In Brazil, maxixe became part of regional cooking, appearing in stews such as maxixada, and in the Caribbean it was pickled and served as a relish. In Jamaica and other islands, the plant is sometimes called maroon cucumber, and it was a backyard crop for generations. In West Africa and the Indian Ocean region, it also grew as a crop and a semi-wild vegetable.

Because it is easy to grow in hot, humid climates and resists some diseases, including nematodes, the gherkin has attracted breeders looking for traits to transfer to commercial cucumbers and melons. Meanwhile, it remains an everyday garden vegetable in parts of Brazil and the Caribbean, and is increasingly grown as a novelty crop elsewhere.

The young, tender fruits are eaten raw in salads, cooked in stews and soups, stir-fried, or pickled whole in vinegar. In Brazil, maxixe is a classic ingredient in cozido and fish stews and is sold pickled in jars. Seeds are eaten with the pulp, as with cucumber, and are not usually separated. In the Caribbean, gherkins are pickled and served as condiments, and in India the plant is sometimes grown as a garden vegetable. The leaves are occasionally cooked as greens in some places. Pick fruits young, before they become bitter and tough.

The fruit is mostly water, with small amounts of fibre, vitamin C and minerals, and it has few calories. Traditional medicine in several regions has used the plant for various complaints, but scientific evidence is scarce, and its value is mainly as a light, crunchy vegetable in the diet.