What Is Cucumber Milking? It's a New TikTok Trend and It's... Something Else
May 15 2020, Updated 11:47 a.m. ET
After several weeks of being quarantined indoors, many of us are relying on TikTok to show us the latest trends. And while they're often undeniably ingenious (ahem, every single one of these makeup hacks), one recent fad called "cucumber milking" is truly making all of us uncomfortable.
If you aren't already familiar with the nasty trend that is "cucumber milking," get ready to be totally and utterly grossed out with the internet... after watching one (or 10) of these mesmerizing-yet-disgusting videos, you really can't unsee it.
What is "cucumber milking" on TikTok and why are people doing it?
While cucumbers don't actually contain milk (shocker!), they contain a white substance called cucurbitacin, which can add a less-than-ideal bitter taste to your beloved cuke, according to Delish. Those who are looking to get a sweeter taste from their cucumber can essentially "milk" the cucurbitacin right out of the cucumber, which sounds gross but apparently can work wonders.
It all started when TikTok user @basicallyperkfect spread her sister-in-law's "cooking secret." Basicallyperkfect chops off the edge of the cucumber, and rubs it against the other cucumber slices until a white, milky substance comes out. The result? A reportedly "fresh" and juicy" flavor. It sounds lovely, but truth be told, the process is a little gross. Check out her original video below.
Some on Twitter are straight-up grossed out by the concept of "milking cucumbers."
Understandably, not everyone is thrilled about the concept of this trend — a large portion of the Twitterverse is simply grossed out by the phrase "cucumber milking" while others are put off by the sight of a white, cheese-like substance coming out of the beloved vegetable. Check out what Twitter is saying about this hack below.
Others can't believe this is their first time hearing about it.
Apparently, a large portion of Twitter already knew about this. And although they may not usually refer to it as "cucumber milking," it turns out that people have been doing this for years. Basicallyperkfect simply shined a light on an already-popular kitchen hack for cucumber enthusiasts everywhere.
Hey, it could be worse — at least cockroach milking isn't a fad anymore.
While the fad of incorporating "bug protein" into your daily diet came and (hopefully) went, we'll never forget when a select few weirdos were obsessing over cockroach milk. Yes, you heard that correctly... a handful of health nuts decided that milking a roach would get them more fat, sugar, and protein than any other type of milk.
We really can't say if cockroach milk was or wasn't nutritionally effective as none of us dared to try it, but needless to say, we're glad it's no longer part of our lives. In all honesty, we'll take "cucumber milking" over cockroach milk any day.
Very few of us predicted that anyone would be spending the quarantine milking a cucumber, but hey — at this point, few things come as a surprise.
