What is Chayote?
So many people have asked me what is it and what do they do with it? Records show that in Mexico the chayote has been cultivated since pre-Columbian times and was introduced during the 18th century into Europe then it was taken to Africa, Asia and Australia.
The fruit, stems, young leaves as well as the swollen parts of the roots are eaten as a vegetable. It can be eaten just plain boiled, or added to stews and casseroles. So what is the chayote? It is a member of the squash family. It is also referred to as a “vegetable pear”. The flesh is white and crisp. The fruit/vegetable is generally green and shaped like a pear with a smooth skin that has quite deep grooves running down the length of it. It’s like an ugly misshaped green pear.
The fruit and particularly the seed part of the chayote plant have been used medicinally for a very long time. An infusion of the fruit/vegetable is used to alleviate urine retention. The cardiovascular properties of the infusion of leaves have been tested in recent studies, and their effectiveness in curing kidney diseases has been known since colonial times.
Select firm, smooth, unwrinkled chayote, as old chayote become very wrinkled and hence dry, and tough. Chayote will keep refrigerated for a few days but it is best to use them as soon as possible. I use chayote raw in salads. I have included two recipes one cooked and one raw.
Chayote Soup
2 onions chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped or crushed
¼ teaspoon chopped fresh hot green chilli or dried chilli or the chilli found in jars, to your taste
¼ tablespoon coconut oil
1 ½ lb of chayote, 2 to 3 peeled, chopped into cubes
A little herb salt and some fresh pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups water, approx
Cook onions, garlic, and chilli gently in coconut oil, stirring until soft but not brown. Add the chopped chayote, salt and pepper, and 1 tablespoon cilantro and cook, stirring for a further 3 minutes. Add the water and simmer, covered, until all is tender, about 20 minutes. Then stir in the remaining tablespoon of cilantro and purée the soup in a blender until smooth (optional). Garnish with sprigs of fresh locally grown cilantro
White Salad
Grated chayote
Grated apples or pears
Grated daikon radish
Herbal salt
Salad dressing – option 1
Mix all ingredients together and serve with fish
Nutrients - The flesh and seed are rich in amino acids such as aspartic acid, glutamic acid, alanine, arginine, cysteine, phenylalanine, glycine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, methionine, proline, serine, tyrosine, threonine and valine.