If someone had said that one day there would be a cucumber crisis in Iceland, they would probably be considered a kind of vegan Nostradamus.
Yet the news world seems not to stop talking about the moment when the fate of an entire nation found itself suspended for the lack of a vegetable.
How so? Thanks or because of one tiktoker, Logan Moffitt renamed cucumber boy. It was not the fault of Arctic frost, volcanic eruptions or some magnetic storm as one might expect but of an influencer who brought the Icelandic cucumber market to its knees.
@logagm New toy
♬ original sound - Logan
Let's take a step back. Silent Iceland, famous for its breathtaking landscapes, elves and ability to withstand temperatures that would make a penguin scream in terror, is also one of the few places in the world where cucumbers are grown in geothermally heated greenhouses. What seemed like a small miracle of agricultural engineering became the source of an unforeseen and absurd disaster.
It all started when the aforementioned tiktoker, known for his extravagant culinary gimmicks, posted a video in which he turned a cucumber into an edible work of art. The video, needless to say, went viral in no time.
@logagm Cucumber haul!
♬ original sound - Logan
As if that were not enough, Logan Moffitt claimed that, thanks to Icelandic cucumbers, he could get the “perfect crunch,” that crunchy, irresistible sound that drove millions of users crazy.
Naturally, the demand for cucumbers exploded. Everyone wanted to taste the infamous Icelandic “crunch.” Supermarkets stormed, shelves emptied in minutes, and, as a result, an entire nation found itself without its favorite ingredient for salads, smoothies, and cocktail garnishes.
@tinavelasco20 Cucumber sold out in Iceland because of the Salad by @Logan ♬ original sound - tinavelasco20
Local farmers, who until then had considered the cucumber a niche product to be offered in neighborhood markets, were overwhelmed by the sudden demand. Greenhouses, usually filled with lush vegetables, were transformed into post-apocalyptic movie scenarios, with bare plants and workers desperate to keep up with orders.
And as always, the law of supply and demand was not slow to kick in: the price of cucumbers skyrocketed.
Restaurateurs also, to keep up with the current fad, began offering cucumber-based tasting menus, with dishes ranging from “smoked cucumber gaspacho” to “lavender cucumber sorbet.”
It wasn't long before actual Cucumber Clubs sprang up where, through the payment of a membership fee, one can access heads of fresh cucumbers as if they were nuggets of gold.
Like all fads, this one is destined to fade. Perhaps someday who knows what other creator will discover some other food with an even more irresistible “crunch,” and cucumbers will come back, finally, to rest.
Illustration by Gloria Dozio - Acrimònia Studios
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