Viral TikTok Cucumber Salad Recipes Spark Massive Cucumber Shortage in Iceland

Crazy for cucumbers? Apparently most of the world is too! The latest cucumber salad trend, which has taken over social media by storm (particularly TikTok), revolves around a simple but versatile cucumber salad made popular by TikToker, Logan Moffitt.

Now dubbed as the “cucumber guy,” Moffitt has amassed millions of views with his unique take on different cucumber salads.

Moffitt’s original recipe was as easy as they come:

He sliced cucumbers thinly using a mandoline while throwing in a variety of other simple ingredients like soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, grated garlic, green onions, sesame seeds and a sprinkle of MSG.

Easy, right?

But it gets even more interesting!

Since this trend took off, there have been some major impacts on cucumber sales, even causing shortages in places, such as Iceland.

Let’s dig a little deeper.

Logan Moffitt is a 23-year-old TikTok creator who has truly created a cucumber phenomena with his endless cucumber recipes.

His TikTok videos often begin with “Sometimes you need to eat an entire cucumber,” and result in drawing nearly 27 million views on a single post. Most viewers are simply amazed at Moffitt’s ability to transform the humble cucumber into flavor bombs with countless flavor combinations which has inspired people to delve into their kitchens and get exploring and experimenting.

Moffitt has stated that cucumbers have been a personal favorite of his for years:

“I’ve been eating them like candy since I was a kid!”

What about life before becoming a viral sensation?

According an article, Moffitt indicates that he began cooking at the young age of 14, using his TikTok account to express his laid-back cooking videos where he drew inspiration from Jamie Oliver and other television hosts.

The appeal of these videos are not just found in the seasonality of cucumbers, but in the joy of turning something mundane into a moment of fresh magic.

As Amanda Brennan, a trends strategist, pointed out that cucumbers are:

“…now being presented as something that you should enjoy.”

Which ultimately turns a bland and boring salad ingredient into something exciting and savored.

What is Moffitt’s approach?

Using a mandoline, he slices cucumbers paper-thin, tosses them into a container with an array of ingredients such as jalapeños, smoked salmon, or even the everything-bagel seasoning. A few vigorous (really, take out your anger and frustration) shakes later, he dives in with a pair of chopsticks.

“…riff in [your] own kitchens” he encourages.

Okay, but there’s more!

Since this trend has taken off there has been an unexpected surge in cucumber demand. There have been reports all over the world of doubling cucumber sales, causing farmers to struggle with maintaining demand and supply as the sensation continues to grow.

While social media advocates believe that this surge is due to Moffitt’s viral videos, experts argue other facts, like seasonal plant replacements and schools reopening.

“Everything is happening at the same time,” noted Kristín Linda Sveinsdóttir, a member of Iceland’s farmers association.

But with over 5.5 million followers, Moffitt has been a significant driver of the craze, increasing interest in cucumber despite schools reopening and other factors that experts have hinted on. Luckily for cucumber fans, despite this shortage, Icelandic farmers remain hopeful that supply will soon stabilize… provided that there are no further disruptions.

What do you think?

Want to try one of these salads? Here’s three of Moffitt’s recipes for you: