Chayote

Also known asChow Chow · Mirliton · Christophene · Sechium edule · 佛手瓜

Name: Chayote, also called mirliton, vegetable pear, choko or chuchu (Sechium edule) — a pear-shaped, pale green, wrinkled or smooth gourd with a single, flat, edible seed, and crisp, mild, slightly sweet flesh.

Description

Chayote is native to Mexico and Central America, and was a staple of the Aztecs and Maya, whose Nahuatl name was chayotli. It spread across Latin America, the Caribbean, the American South, where it is called mirliton in Louisiana, and to Asia, Australia and the Pacific. All parts of the plant are edible, including the young shoots, leaves and starchy roots.

The fruit has a mild taste that is often compared to a cross between cucumber and zucchini, with a crisp texture when raw and a soft one when cooked. It takes on the flavour of what it is cooked with, and is popular in salads, stir-fries, soups and stews.

Main nutrition value

Chayote is low in calories and provides vitamin C, folate, vitamin K, manganese and fibre, with a high water content.

How best to be consumed

Chayote is eaten raw or cooked, with the skin on if tender.

1. Peel if the skin is tough, halve and remove the seed, and slice into salads, slaws and salsas, with lime and chilli.
2. Sauté, steam or boil, and add to soups, stews, curries and stir-fries.
3. Stuff and bake, as in Louisiana mirliton dressing.
4. Eat the soft seed, which is edible and tastes nutty.
5. Wear gloves or rinse the cut fruit, since its sap can irritate and turn hands sticky.

Overconsumption could cause…

Chayote is safe and healthy in food amounts.

1. Skin irritation from the sticky sap in some people.
2. Digestive upset, in rare cases, from large amounts.
3. Allergic reactions in rare cases.
4. Added salt and fat in rich cooked dishes.

GroupsSquash and GourdsGourd family (Cucurbitaceae)Low fatLow sodiumRich in folateMexican and Latin AmericanFresh

Related foodsBitter Gourd / Bitter MelonZucchini / CourgetteYellow SquashCucumberEnglish CucumberPickling Cucumber

Wikipedia — Chayote, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chayote