Great in Jamaican Chicken Soup
Chayote (pronounced chahy-oh-tee) is a light green, pear-shaped fruit with a single, large pit and edible flesh and skin. The flesh of the chayote is mild in flavor. It has a texture somewhere in between a potato and cucumber. Although technically a fruit, chayote is often used more like a vegetable in Latin cuisine.
What Is It?
These tropical fruits, a member of the gourd family, are native to Mexico but are now cultivated in warm climates worldwide. Chayote is a popular ingredient in Central American cuisine, as well as in food prepared in the southern United States, usually in Caribbean , Asian, And Latin American cuisine.
Also known as pear squash, mirlitons, cho-cho, chouchoute, cidra, tayota, or choko, depending on where in Central America you travel, chayote is used for a variety of purposes including cooking and eating them raw as a light snack.
Chayote has a high water and fiber content and is relatively low in natural sugars, making them fairly low in calories compared to other fruit. Also, chayote is prized for being high in potassium, vitamin C, and amino acids.
The leaves and fruit have diuretic, cardiovascular, and anti-inflammatory properties. A tea made from the chayote plant's leaves has been used in the treatment of arteriosclerosis, hypertension, and kidney stones.
Seasons/Availability
Chayote squash is available year-round, with peak harvests in the fall and occasionally late spring.
Chayote (Sechium edule) is an edible plant belonging to the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, along with melons, cucumbers and squash. Globally it is known by other names including Chayote (Sechium edule) is an edible plant belonging to the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, along with melons, cucumbers and squash. Globally it is known by other names including christophine cho-cho, pipinola (Hawaii), pear squash, vegetable pear, or choko (Australia and New Zealand)
