Cucumber

The Cucumber in Ancient Egypt


 * Egyptian Name:**

//Qadi//, //Bndt,// or //Sbt//

The cucumber was introduced fairly late in Egyptian history, during the New Kingdom. It was a very popular vegetable, being shown often in tomb offerings. Faience models of cucumbers were buried with the dead. There is a possibility that instead of the cucumber, the Chate Melon (Cucumis melo var. chate) was meant to be depicted instead.

The Israelites, who had become accustomed to the Egyptian diet of bread, fish, and vegetables, complained when they were wandering in the desert: "We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic." (Numbers 11)

Vegetables in Ancient Egypt