What is "chayote"

Chayote \Cha"yo"te\

1. a tropical West Indian vine ( Sechium edule) of the gourd family, which bears small white flowers and produces an edible fruit.

2. the edible fruit of the chayote[1] vine, having a pear shape with a furrowed skin, and usually green or white. It is also called choyote, christophene, mirliton, and vegetable pear

n. 1 (taxlink Sechium edule species noshow=1), a tropical American perennial herbaceous vine having tendrils, tuberous roots, and a green, pear-shaped fruit cooked as a vegetable. 2 The fruit of this plant.

Chayote (Sechium edule) is an edible plant belonging to the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, along with melons, cucumbers and squash. Globally it is known by many names including Choko (Australia) christophene or christophine, cho-cho, cidra (Antioquia, Caldas, Quindio and Risaralda regions of Colombia), sayóte (Filipino languages), guatila (Boyacá and Valle del Cauca regions of Colombia), centinarja ( Malta), sousou or chou-chou (chow-chow) ( Mauritian Creole), chuchu ( Brazil), pimpinela ( Madeira), pipinola ( Hawaii), tayota ( Dominican Republic), mirliton ( Haitian Creole), pear squash, vegetable pear, chouchoute, choko, güisquil (Guatemala, El Salvador), pataste (Honduras), piskot or sikot ( Meghalaya), is-kus ( Nagaland), dashkush ( Manipur), iskut ( Mizoram), is-Kush ( Nepal) su su ( Vietnam). Its tuberous and edible root is called chinchayote or chayotextle in Mexico and ichintal in Guatemala.

Chayote is originally native to Mesoamerica. It has been introduced as a crop worldwide. The main growing regions are Brazil, Costa Rica, Veracruz, Mexico and Abkhazia. Costa Rican chayotes are predominantly exported to the European Union, whereas Veracruz mainly exports its chayotes to the United States.

The word chayote is a Spanish derivative of the Nahuatl word chayohtli . 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.

The chayote fruit is used in mostly cooked forms. When cooked, chayote is usually handled like summer squash, it is generally lightly cooked to retain the crispy consistency. Though rare and often regarded as especially unpalatable and tough in texture, raw chayote may be added to salads or salsas, most often marinated with lemon or lime juice. Whether raw or cooked, chayote is a good source of vitamin C.

Although most people are familiar only with the fruit as being edible, the root, stem, seeds and leaves are edible as well. The tubers of the plant are eaten like potatoes and other root vegetables, while the shoots and leaves are often consumed in salads and stir fries, especially in Asia. Like other members of the gourd family, such as cucumbers, melons, and squash, chayote has a sprawling habit, 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. However, in Australia and New Zealand, it is an easily grown yard or garden plant, set on a chicken wire support or strung against a fence.