General Information
Now very popular, the chayote squash blends flavors of turnip, cucumber, and zucchini. The pear-shaped, summer squash, which is grown in warmer and more tropical climates such as the Caribbean or Mexico is pale green or white in color with a smooth or prickly skin, the Chayote has a creased rind that is usually peeled, exposing a white inner meat with a single soft, seed in the center. Chayotes come in two common varieties, the smooth variety shown here and a prickly variety (covered in spines).
History
Chayote (Sechium edule) was actually domesticated in Mexico and seen in South American until after the Spanish conquest. (Sophie Coe, America’s First Cuisines). The starchy squash was a staple of the Aztecs. The name chayote is derived from the Nahuatl world chayotli.
