TikTok's new cucumber recipe obsession is actually an elite summer side dish

Cucumbers, in summer? Groundbreaking.

TikTok food often falls somewhere between grotesque and meh on the deliciousness spectrum. Recipes designed to go viral, it turns out, aren't always the best at producing food that's a pleasure to actually ingest.

Something like the viral feta pasta? Honestly, it was pretty decent. But for every good recipe, there's gross-as-hell air-fried fruit or something that's stuffed, fried, coated in Doritos, and disgusting, but it gets views. TikTok's latest food obsession, however, is actually a great dish. It's simple and delicious. Basically, it's a recipe for a lightly marinated cucumber salad, and folks on the app are loving it.

That makes sense, considering that it's a perfect summer side dish and a regular accompaniment to my fried chicken, another summer favorite.

As far as I can tell, it all started with TikTok creator @logagm, real name Logan, who posted a recipe for the best way "to eat an entire cucumber" in July. Logan, who shares a lot of Korean recipes on the platform, thinly slices the cuke, then lightly marinated it with soy, fish sauce, sugar, MSG, sesame oil, garlic, green onion, and sesame seeds. He shakes it up in a quart-sized container, effectively making a quick cucumber salad. The recipe has racked up more than 9 million views.

Logan, seemingly sensing the moment, has gone on to post a ton of different cucumber recipes. Most lean on Asian flavors and involve a light pickle or marinade. They've all racked up millions of views. And now, of course, TikTok is obsessed with cucumbers. Search around, and cucumber salad videos are everywhere on the app. Massively popular creator Alix Earle made one. So did @boywithnojob. Seriously, look around and see how many different recipes there are.

It makes sense, considering it's summertime in the States, and cucumbers are perfectly refreshing on a hot day. They also have very little taste on their own but take on the flavors of a marinade quite well. As a person who loves food — and cooking sensible meals with good ingredients — it's pretty cool to see people online talking so much about a simple, tasty dish and a humble vegetable (cukes are technically fruit, but, come on, they're a veggie).

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So, while summer lasts, TikTok might actually be a great place to get a recipe for a side dish. Because sometimes you really do just need to eat a whole cucumber.