FreshPoint

Description:

This plump, sweet vegetable has many monikers. In most of the U.S. it is called chayote, but the Aztecs who first cultivated it called it chayotl. It is christophene or brionne in the West Indies, chochoute in Madagascar, xuxu in Brazil and pepinella, mirliton or vegetable pear in other parts of the world. And as luck would have it, there are practically as many ways to prepare and enjoy this pear-shaped summer squash as it has names. This delicious summer-like squash combines the cool flavors of the cucumber, zucchini and turnip with a hint of citrus zest. With the slightly dense, crisp texture of an apple, it can be eaten raw or cooked, sliced, diced or sauteed, added to salads and stir-fried. The distinct flavor of the chayote blends well with tomatoes, onions, corn and peppers and lends itself to spicy southwestern cooking. Best of all, chayote is often perfectly sized for a single serving of shrimp or crabmeat stuffed squash.