Persian cucumbers (sometimes labeled “mini cucumbers” or “Lebanese cucumbers”) are the variety we reach for when the cucumber has to carry the dish — chopped salads, raita, tzatziki, quick pickles. Their skin is thin enough to skip peeling; their seed cavity is small enough that you don’t need to scoop. The flesh is denser and the flavor cleaner than the watery English/seedless variety.

Keep them in the crisper drawer in a paper towel-lined produce bag — they bruise faster than they spoil, so handle gently. Slice on a slight bias for salads (more surface area for the dressing); cube for chopped Mediterranean salads; smash with the side of a knife for the Sichuan style.