Meet Fakkous, the Crunchy Summer Cousin of the Cucumber

As Israel’s hot summer season peaks, a little-known vegetable called fakkous is appearing in markets and drawing curious looks. It resembles a refined cross between a cucumber and a zucchini, with pale green skin and a soft velvety fuzz. The key difference is its crunch, fakkous is firmer than an ordinary cucumber and does not release much liquid, so it stays crisp instead of turning soggy.

That quality makes it useful far beyond fresh salads. According to chef Yossi Havlin, it can also be cooked, lightly grilled, or quickly pickled. He advises not peeling it, because the skin is edible, nutritious, and helps preserve its texture. In the market, he recommends choosing fakkous that are firm, straight, and relatively thin, since oversized ones may have large bitter seeds and a stringy center.

Havlin suggests one simple grilling method, split the vegetable lengthwise, coat it with good olive oil and coarse salt, then sear it on a hot charcoal grill or grill pan for about two minutes per side. He says it will keep its crunch and develop a mild smoky flavor, with lemon added at serving.

The article also offers three recipes before the short season ends. The first combines fakkous with watermelon, apricots, red onion, chili, mint, basil, scallions, toasted almonds, and optional feta or Bulgarian cheese. The second is a quick-pickled salad with dill, red onion, red pepper, radishes, vinegar, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, sugar, salt, and pepper, chilled for at least 15 to 20 minutes. The third is a Greek-style fakkous tziziki with yogurt, red onion, dill, garlic, olive oil, lemon, salt, pepper, and sumac. Havlin is described as a private chef for luxury events and boutique evenings.