Chayote Squash.
What Is Chayote Squash? Chayote (Sechium edule), also known as a mirliton squash, is a warm-season perennial fruit from the gourd family. Due to its light-green skin and pear shape, chayote is also known as a vegetable pear.
How do you eat pear squash?
The chayote, also called vegetable pear or a mirliton, is sometimes compared to a cucumber or zucchini, and it can be eaten raw or cooked, peeled or unpeeled. Its firm, crisp texture makes it an excellent choice for sautés and salads, and its firmness means it’s ideal for spiralizing.
What looks like a pear but is not a pear?
Chayote squash is small to medium in size, averaging 10-20 centimeters in length, and has a pear-like shape with deep linear indentations, folds, or puckers that run vertically along the fruit’s skin that meet at its flower end.
What does a chayote squash look like?
This squash looks like a large, lumpy, unripe pear. It has a color ranging from pale green to dark green with white flesh. Another favorite that we have discovered is cucamelons or Mexican Mouse Melons, which we grow each year at home. See some other unique vegetables like Jicama, Kohlrabi, Chayote Squash, and more.
What is the Mexican squash called?
Calabacita (Cucurita pepo), translating to “little squash” in Spanish, is a very popular type of summer squash in Mexico, and variations of this squash, most also C. pepo can be found in other Latin American countries. Cucurbita pepo was domesticated in what is now Mexico and Central America (Morales Maza et al. 2013).
What vegetable looks like a pear?
Chayote Squash
What Is Chayote Squash? Chayote (Sechium edule), also known as a mirliton squash, is a warm-season perennial fruit from the gourd family. Due to its light-green skin and pear shape, chayote is also known as a vegetable pear.
What does Mexican squash taste like?
Chayote, also known as mirliton squash or vegetable pear because of its pear-like shape and size, is pale green on the outside, with white flesh on the inside. It’s crunchy and mild “with a slightly sweet taste and light notes of cucumber,” according to Specialty Produce.
Can you eat chayote squash raw?
Chayote is technically a fruit, but it’s prepared and eaten like a vegetable. You can prepare the food like you would prepare other kinds of squash. Some ways to enjoy chayote include: Eating raw chayote like you would eat cucumber or celery.
What fruit is similar to a pear?
Best pear substitutes. The best pear substitutes are apples, quinces, plantains, figs, white grapes, mangoes, pineapples, papaya, and pumpkin or butternut squash. All of these provide sweetness and texture and in some cases even the enzyme necessary to tenderize meat – like in papaya and pineapple.
Are you supposed to peel chayote squash?
To prep chayote for cooking, peel and discard the leathery rind and then cut it lengthwise into quarters. Use a paring knife to remove the hard central seed before slicing or cubing.
Is chayote good for high blood pressure?
Eating chayote squash may improve several heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and poor blood flow. Animal and test-tube research indicates that chayote compounds may help relax blood vessels, thereby improving blood flow and reducing blood pressure ( 5 ).
Does chayote need to be cooked?
Chayote does not need to be cooked to be enjoyed. You can eat it raw just like how you would eat celery or cucumber. Chayote is a great addition to stews, salads, casseroles, or sautés.
What is a Spanish squash called?
Calabaza is the generic name in the Spanish language for any type of winter squash.
Is Mexican squash the same as zucchini?
Mild in flavor and varying in size from baby to medium to large, Mexican squash sports a pale green thin tender edible skin. Appearing nearly seedless, its tasty flesh is whiter and sweeter than zucchini. Shaped somewhat like zucchini, this variety is most often larger and more oblong.
Does chayote squash taste like zucchini?
The crisp pale flesh of the chayote has the flavor of cooked cucumber. (Other people are reminded of baby zucchini or summer squash.)
What is Mexican GREY squash?
Grey squash is a summer squash that’s like a zucchini but more stocky and has a rounded botom. ♦ It’s a pale green color with smooth, shiny skin and has a solid, crisp flesh. The Grey Squash has a butery texture and a slightly sweet, nuty flavor.
What is a Tatume squash?
‘Tatume’ is one the rare varieties of squash that can be harvested as either a summer or winter type. ‘Tatume’ fruit. The fruits of the ‘Tatume’ squash are round or oblate in shape. Their skins is striped green and they resemble a small watermelon or pumpkin in their immature form.
How do you know when a chayote squash is ripe?
To choose a ripe chayote, look for one that’s firm to the touch, between light and dark green in color, and without any brown soft spots (varying colors are fine as long as the fruit is firm).
Does chayote squash taste good?
Though the shape of a chayote has been likened to a fist, its flavor doesn’t exactly pack a punch. Rather, the chayote has a mild taste that balances between apple and cucumber with a jicama-like fresh crispiness, making it a versatile addition to the dinner plate.
How do you eat squash fruit?
It is usually served with butter or olive oil and savory seasonings. You can also add cooked winter squash to salads and soups. Alternatively, try stuffing acorn, delicata or hubbard squashes with meats, beans or other vegetables. The seeds of winter squash can be roasted with oil and salt for a crunchy snack.
Where does chayote squash come from?
Chayote Squash—Ancient Crop
This bright green pear-shaped squash has long been cultivated throughout Mexico, Central and South America. The Aztecs called them chayotli. Other names include mirliton (Caribbean), choko, or custard marrow.