chayote

[ chahy-oh-tee ]

noun

1. a tropical American vine, Sechium edule, of the gourd family, having triangular leaves and small, white flowers.
2. the green or white, furrowed, usually pear-shaped, edible fruit of this plant.

chayote

/ tʃaɪˈəʊtɪ; tʃɑːˈjəʊteɪ /

noun

1. a tropical American cucurbitaceous climbing plant, Sechium edule, that has edible pear-shaped fruit enclosing a single enormous seed
2. the fruit of this plant, which is cooked and eaten as a vegetable

Word History and Origins

Origin of chayote¹

1885–90, Americanism; < Mexican Spanish < Nahuatl chayohtli

Word History and Origins

Origin of chayote¹

from Spanish, from Nahuatl chayotli

Example Sentences

The 11 ingredients in the book — beans, calabaza, cassava, chayote, coconut, cornmeal, okra, plantains, rice, salted cod and scotch bonnet peppers — are all inherently Caribbean ingredients.

From Salon

The beans — which have a nutty flavor and come in white, black and many colors in between — are also available through Native-led projects like Ramona Farms and on the menus of Native chefs around the country: James Beard Award-winning Indigenous chef Sean Sherman pairs Tepary beans with scallops, chayote, epazote and chile at Owamni, in Minneapolis; at Th_Prsrv, a restaurant just outside Houston that celebrates Indigenous Thai and Indigenous American cuisine, the beans feature in a thoughtful interpretation of the Three Sisters.

From Salon

Patrons can order shrimp served with a creamy sauce made with vanilla extract, a chayote squash soup with vanilla seeds, a vanilla liqueur drink called Papenteco Kiss and plantains flambéed with vanilla ice cream.

From Los Angeles Times

For instance, the green, pear-shaped squash called güisquil — also known as chayote — is native to Mesoamerica and commonly boiled and used in soups or stews.

From Los Angeles Times

The more adventurous options feature salmon poised on black lentils seasoned with garam masala and chicken plied with chayote slaw and mole sauce sweetened with white grapes.

From Washington Post

More About Chayote

What does chayote mean?

Chayote is a light green, pear-shaped, squash-like fruit popular in Central American cuisine.

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Where does chayote come from?

Chayote (Sechium edule) is a member of the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, native to Mesoamerica. Its common Spanish name is chayote, which derives from the Nahuatl word, chayohtli. It’s also known as mirliton squash.

Chayote was a staple in the diets of the ancient Aztecs and Mayans. European colonists later spread the plant to the Caribbean islands and Europe. Today, the plant is eaten all over the world and grown in various warm climates.

Chayote is described to have a mild taste, similar to a potato and cucumber. Raw chayote is often used in salads, while cooked chayote can be used in many dishes due to its weak flavor. Chayote is high in vitamin C, and its leaves are used to treat kidney disease and hypertension.

How is chayote used in real life?

Chayote is only successfully grown in a few southern U.S. states. Americans have been more exposed to the fruit in the 2000s thanks to immigration from Central America and supermarkets stocking less-common fruits and vegetables.

warning warning we got all kinds of crazy fruit again at beiler's market chayote fruit papaya fruit and starfruit more to come

— Karl Hershberger (@karlsellsohio) December 22, 2018

According to Pinterest, food trends for 2019 range from the familiar (mushrooms) to the obscure (chayote): https://t.co/SUF3ynS5k8 pic.twitter.com/votNO9L2Ns

— Eat Your Books (@EatYourBooks) December 16, 2018

In its native Central America, however, chayote is as common as it has been for centuries.

Encontró un chayote y piensa que es una pelota para jugar ❤️ pic.twitter.com/1EdXsGxfil

— Hormiga (@apzarocker) December 24, 2018

More examples of chayote:

“Even in the heat of summer, Horacio Fuentes doesn’t need any shade in his Wilshire Park backyard. After all, he has a chayote. A seamless sea of green runs from the second-floor eaves of his house to the detached garage in the back, shading the entire length of the driveway.”
—Jeff Spurrier, Los Angeles Times, August 2012

Note

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.