chayote

Chayote
Chouchous on sale in Réunion Island
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Violales
Family:	Cucurbitaceae
Genus:	Sechium
Species:	S. edule
Binomial name
Sechium edule (Jacq.) Swartz, 1800

The chayote (Sechium edule), also known as sayote, tayota, choko, chocho, chow-chow, christophene, mirliton, alligator pear, and vegetable pear, is an edible plant that belongs to the gourd family Cucurbitaceae along with melons, cucumbers and squash.

The plant has large leaves that form a canopy over the fruit. The vine is grown on the ground or more commonly on trellises.

Chayote was first domesticated in Mexico, where the fruit is used in both raw and cooked forms. When cooked, chayote is usually handled like summer squash, and it is generally lightly cooked to retain the crisp flavor. Raw chayote may be added to salads or salsas, and it is often marinated with lemon or lime juice. It can also be eaten straight, although the bland flavor makes this a dubious endeavor. Whether raw or cooked, chayote is a good source of amino acids and vitamin C.

The tubers of the plant are eaten like potatoes and other root vegetables. In addition, the shoots and leaves can be consumed, and they are often used in salads and stir fries, especially in Asia. Like other members of the gourd family such as cucumbers, melons, and squash, chayote can get quite sprawling, and it should only be planted if there is plenty of room in the garden. The roots are also highly susceptible to rot, especially in containers, and the plant in general is finicky to grow.

The word for chayote is Spanish, borrowed from the Nahuatl word chayotli. Chayote was one of the many foods introduced to Europe by early explorers, who brought back a wide assortment of botanical samples. The age of conquest also spread the plant south from Mexico, ultimately causing it to be integrated into the cuisine of many other Latin American nations.

Chayote is native to Central America where it is a very important ingredient to the diet. Other warm regions around the globe have been successful in cultivating it as well. Main growing regions are Costa Rica and Veracruz, Mexico. Costa Rican chayotes are predominantly exported to the European Union whereas Veracruz is the main exporter of chayotes to the United States.

Taxonomy

The plant was first recorded by modern botanists in P.Browne's 1756 work.^[1] In 1763 it was classified by Jacquin as Sicyos edulus and by Adanson as Chocho edulus. Swartz included it in 1800 in its current genus Sechium.

Description

Chayote inside

In the most common variety, the fruit is roughly pear or apple shaped, somewhat flattened and with coarse wrinkles, ranging from 10 to 20 cm in length. It looks like a green pear and it has a thin green skin fused with the white flesh, and a single large flattened pip. The flesh has a fairly bland taste, and a texture described as a cross between a potato and a cucumber. Although generally discarded, the seed has a nutty flavour^{[citation needed]} and may be eaten as part of the fruit.

Culinary and medicinal uses

Ichintal (Chayote Root)

Although most people are familiar only with the fruit, the root, stem, seeds, and leaves are all edible.

The fruit does not need to be peeled and can be eaten raw in salads. Cooked or raw, it has a very mild flavor by itself, and is commonly served with seasonings (e.g., salt, butter and pepper in Australia) or in a dish with other vegetables and/or flavorings. It can also be boiled, stuffed, mashed, baked, fried, or pickled. Both fruit and seed are rich in amino acids and vitamin C.^{[citation needed]} Fresh green chokos are firm and without brown spots or signs of sprouting. Smaller chayotes are more tender.

The tuberous part of the root is starchy and is both eaten by humans and used as cattle fodder.

The leaves and fruit have diuretic, cardiovascular and anti-inflammatory properties, and a tea made from the leaves has been used in the treatment of arteriosclerosis and hypertension, and to dissolve kidney stones.^{[citation needed]}

In Taiwan, chayotes are widely planted for their shoots, known as lóng xü cài (龍鬚菜, literally "dragon-whisker vegetable"). Along with the young leaves, the shoot is a commonly consumed vegetable in the region.

Myths

• In Australia, where it is called choko, a persistent rumour has existed that McDonald's Apple Pies were made of chokos, not apples. This eventually led McDonald's to emphasise the fact that real apples are used in their pies. This legend was based on an earlier belief that tinned pears were often disguised chokos. A possible explanation for the rumour is that there are a number of recipes extant in Australia, that advise chokos can be used in part replacement of canned apples to make the fruit go farther, in making apple pies. This likely arose because of shortages of canned fruit in the years following World War Two, coupled with the fact apples do not grow in many tropical and sub-tropical parts of Australia and were therefore difficult to obtain.

• Due to its purported cell-regenerative properties, it is believed as a contemporary legend that this fruit caused the mummification of people from the Colombian town of San Bernardo who extensively consumed it. The very well preserved skin and flesh can be seen in the mummies today.^{[citation needed]}

Alternative names

Chayote (English pronunciation: /tʃаɪˈoʊtiː/  ( listen)) is the Spanish name of the plant, from Nahuatl: hitzayotli (pronounced [itsaˈjotɬi]). It is used in many parts of Spanish-speaking Latin America and in the US. Worldwide, it is known by many other names:

Africa

• Mauritius: chouchou
• Réunion Island: chouchou
• Madagascar: saosety
• Malawi: shushu
• Seychelles: sousout

America

• Barbados: christophene
• Brazil: chuchu
• Belize: "cho-cho"
• English Caribbean: christoferine, christophene, cho-cho
• Colombia: Guatila (Cundinamarca) Guasquilla (Boyacá) or Cidra (Caldas). Another popular and vulgar name is papa de los pobres (Spanish for 'potatoes of the poor')
• Dominican Republic and Nicaragua: tayota [ta'jɔta]
• El Salvador: "guisquil"
• French Antilles: christophene, christophine
• Guatemala-El Salvador-Honduras: The dark green variety is labeled güisquil, the yellowish-white variety perulero and the more common light-green variety pataste.
• Haiti: mirliton
• Jamaica: "chocho", "Chow Chow"
• Latin America: gayota
• Louisiana (Cajun, Creole, English): mirliton (sometimes spelled merliton) but pronounced in New Orleans and surrounding parishes as "mel-a-tawn"
• United States of America: Slang term old people lips
• Paraguay: Papa del aire
• Panama: "Chayote"

Asia

• China (Cantonese): 佛手瓜 fut sao gwa (lit. Buddha hand melon), 合掌瓜 hup jeung gwa (lit. closed palm melon)
• China (Mandarin): 佛手瓜 (pinyin: fó shǒu guā, lit. "Buddha hand melon")
• Hmong of Laos: "Taub Thaj" (Tau tah), "Taub Maum" (Tau Mau)
• India (Kannada): Seemae BaDhneKayi (ಸೀಮೆ ಬದನೆಕಾಯೇ)
• (Tamil: பெங்களூர் கத்தரிக்காய்) or (Tamil: சௌ சௌ)
• India (Darjeeling): Ishkus
• India (Manipur): DasGoos
• Indonesia: labu siam (lit. Siamese pumpkin), jipang or waluh
• Japan: hayatouri (ハヤトウリ)
• Malaysia: English cucumber
• Myanmar: gorakha thee (lit. Gurkha fruit)
• Nepal: iskus
• Philippines: sayote
• Thailand: fuk maew ฟักแม้ว
• Vietnamese: su su, trai su (trái su)
• Sri Lanka: "Chocho"

Europe

• Croatia: meksički krastavac
• Czech republic: čajot
• Finland: Kajottikurpitsa
• France: christophine
• Italy: zucca centenaria
• Malta: ċentinarja
• Norway: chavote
• Poland: kolczoch jadalny
• Portugal: chuchu, xuxu, pimpinela
• Russian: чайот chayot
• Slovenia: čajota
• Turkey: "dikenli kabak" , "kıbrıs kabağı"

Oceania

• Australia and New Zealand: choko
• Hawaii: pipinola

Other places

• English-speaking countries: chouchou, chocho, cho-cho, mango squash, vegetable pear^{[citation needed]}

Gallery

Perulero (yellowish-white variety)

Sprouting chayote, showing reproductive process of this plant

A dish made with chayote shoots

See also

• List of vegetables
• Araujia sericifera, a toxic weed that is often described as "choko-like".

Notes

References

• Rafael Lira Saade. 1996. Chayote Sechium edule (Jacq.) Sw. Promoting the conservation and use of underutilized and neglected crops. 8. Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research, Gatersleben/International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, Rome, Italy. ISBN 92-9043-298-5 available in pdf format

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Chayote

• Gourmet Sleuth
• neglected crops - Chayote
• Chayote & Beef Soup Recipe
• Chayote with Tomato and Green Chile Recipe
• GROW CHAYOTE (AND DINE LIKE AN AZTEC, November/December 1980
• Cooking Louisiana - Mirlitons