Hugua is the old name for cucumber, which was brought back by Zhang Qian during his mission to the West during the Han Dynasty, and was first called cucumber after the Later Zhao Dynasty.

Shih Le, the founder of the Later Zhao dynasty, made a decree: no matter how to speak and write, it is strictly prohibited to appear the word "hu", violators ask for a pardon. Shi Le summoned local officials in the single court, until after the summoning of the routine "imperial lunch", Shi Le pointed to a plate of Hu melon and asked Fan Tan: "Do you know the name of this?

Fan Tan saw that this is Shi Le intentionally asked him, then respectfully answered: "Purple case delicacies, silver cup of green tea, golden bottle of manna, jade plate cucumber." After hearing this, Shi Le smiled with satisfaction.

Since then, hu melon was called cucumber and spread among the court. By the time of the Tang Dynasty, cucumber had become a common vegetable in the north and south. Nowadays, there are many types of cucumbers, broadly categorized into spring cucumbers, rack cucumbers and dry cucumbers.

Expanded Information:

Based on the distribution area of the cucumber and its ecological traits are divided into the following types:

1, the South Asian type: stem and leaves are thick, easy to branching, fruit Large, single fruit weight 1-5 kg, fruit short cylindrical or long cylindrical skin color light, tumor sparse, thorns black or white. The skin is thick, and the flavor is light. Prefer hot and humid, strictly require short sunshine. There are many local variety groups, such as Sikkim cucumber, China Banna cucumber and Zhaotong large cucumber.

2, South China type: distributed in China south of the Yangtze River and all over Japan. The stem and leaves are more luxuriant, resistant to humidity and heat, short-day plants, smaller fruits, sparse tumors, and more black thorns.

3, North China type: distributed in China north of the Yellow River basin and North Korea, Japan and other places. Plant growth potential are medium, like the soil wet, sunny natural conditions, the response to the length of sunshine is not sensitive.