Trying Chayote for the First Time

I believe it was in San Cristobal De Las Casas that I first noticed this strange looking vegetable that appeared to me to be a demented Avocado.

I saw them a few other times but never stopped and bought one. Then on one of my many lazy days in Mexico City I was walking through the market area and saw a vendor selling corn but she also had this strange vegetable cooking in the same pot. I asked how much and since it was only 15 pesos about .75 US Dollars it was time to give a hairy avocado shaped thing a try.

She asked me a question and I just said yes without having a clue what she just said and she cut it in half, peeled it and put it in a bag for me.

Before I left I did ask her the name and she told me but after stopping in another shop and having to figure out how to ask for a bag in Spanish it was gone. No wonder I can't learn Spanish. I can't remember a word for 15 minutes even after repeating it to myself 10 times.

Once at a keyboard I did a few searches before I hit on the name of Chayote and knew that is the one I wanted.

It is a member of the gourd family and there appears to be different ones because not all of them seem to have the hairy looking peel. It has a very mild taste that somewhat reminded me of a turnip but no where near as strong a flavor. I saw somewhere that compared it to the taste of a cucumber but since mine was cooked I did not think of that. I also read that the core or seed was bitter but for me it was the part I liked the best.

I would like to try one that is not cooked. I will have to keep my eyes open in the market for one and if I try a cooked one again I would like to have a little salt or some other seasoning.