English

Etymology

From Nahuatl chayotl.

Noun

chayote

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.

Scientific names

• Sechium edule

Translations

• Chinese: 佛手瓜 (fó shǒu guā)
• Japanese: ハヤトウリ (hayatouri)
• Spanish: chayote
• Vietnamese: su su, su

The chayote (Sechium edule), also known as choko, chocho, chow-chow, christophine or merliton, 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.

Costa Rica is a major exporter of Chayotes world-wide. Costa Rican chayotes can be purchased in the European Union, the United States and other places in the world. Chayote is a very important ingredient in the Mexican diet. Veracruz state is the most important Chayote growing area of the whole country, and is also a major exporter of this product, mainly to the United States.

Taxonomy

The plant was first recorded by modern botantists in P.Browne's 1756 work. 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

In Taiwan, chayotes are widely planted for its shoot, known as lóng xü cài (Tr. Ch. 龍鬚菜, lit. Dragon-whisker vegetable). Along with the young leaves, the shoot is a commonly consumed fruit in the region.

Myths

• In Australia, where it is called choko, a rumour has floated around for years that McDonalds Apple Pies were made of chokos, not apples. This eventually led them to emphasise the fact that real Granny Smith apples are used in their pies. Chokos are more expensive than the apples supplied to McDonalds Australia.

• Due to its cell-regenerative properties, it is believed as an urban myth that this fruit caused the mummification of people from Colombian town of San Bernardo who extensively consumed it. The very well preserved skin and flesh can be seen in the mummies today.

Alternative names

Chayote (pronounced [tʃa'jɔte], roughly "cha-YO-teh"), is the Spanish name of the plant, from Nahuatl hitzayotli (pronounced "eetsa-yo-tlee"). It is used in many parts of Spanish-speaking Latin America and in the US. World-wide, it is known by many other names:

Africa

• Mauritius: chouchou
• Réunion Island: chouchou

Americas

• Brazil: chuchu
• Belize: "cho-cho"
• English Caribbean: christoferine, christophene, cho-cho
• Colombia: Guatila (Cundinamarca) or Cidra (Caldas). Another popular and vulgar name is papa de los pobres (Spanish for 'poor man's potato')
• Dominican Republic and Nicaragua: tayota [ta'jɔta] or "chayote"
• 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: ¨"militon"
• Jamaica: "chocho"
• Latin America: gayota
• Louisiana (Cajun, Creole, English): mirliton (sometimes spelled merliton) but pronounced in New Orleans and surrounding parishes as "mel-a-tawn"
• Paraguay: Papa del aire
• Puerto Rico: "chayote"

Asia

• China (Cantonese): 佛手瓜 fut sao gwa (lit. Buddha hand melon), 合掌瓜 hup jeung gwa (lit. closed palms squash)
• China (Mandarin): 佛手瓜 (lit. "Buddha hand squash")
• India (Kannada): Seemae BaDhneKayi
• India (Tamil): Bangalore Katharikai or "Chow Chow"
• India (Darjeeling): Ishkus
• India (Manipur): DasGoos
• Indonesia: labu siam (lit. Siamese pumpkin), jipang or waluh
• Japan: hayatouri (ハヤトウリ)
• Malaysian: English cucumber
• Myanmar: gorakha thee (lit. Gurkha fruit)
• Philippines: sayote
• Thailand: fuk maew ฟักแม้ว
• Vietnamese: su-su, trai su

Europe

• Italy: zucca centenaria
• Norway: chavote
• Portugal: chuchu, xuxu, pipinela
• 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
• Jamaica: Chow Chow

See also

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

External links

• Gourmet Sleuth
• neglected crops - Chayote
• Plant of the Week Gallery - Killerplants.com
• Chayote & Beef Soup Recipe

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