Chayote (Sechium edule)

48 Chayote Young fruit_smweb

Common Names
Chayote, vegetable pear, choyote (En); chou-chou, chouchoutte, christophine, mirliton (Fr); chocho, pipinela, tallote, cidrayota, gayota (Sp); 隼人瓜, 佛手瓜, 龍鬚菜 (Cn)

Plant Distribution
Central America, South and Southeast Asia, tropical Africa

Edible Parts
Tender shoots, leaves and tendrils are eaten boiled or stir-fried; immature fruit is eaten raw, steamed, stir-fried, boiled, baked, pickled, or curried.

Health values
Beta-carotene: low in shoots and fruit; vitamin E: low in fruit; riboflavin: medium in shoots; folic acid: medium in fruit; ascorbic acid: medium in shoots and fruit; calcium: low in shoots and fruit; iron: medium in shoots, low in fruit; protein: 4.0% in shoots, 0.5% in fruit. Leaves contain also flavonoids.

Read more: Chayote, in Discovering Indigenous Treasures: Promising Indigenous Vegetables from Around the World. 2009. AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center