# Chayote Squash Tastes Terrible! Why Eat It? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 6, 2009, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chayote-squash-tastes-terrible-why-eat-it/516540 "2009-11-06T08:18:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chayote-squash-tastes-terrible-why-eat-it/516540/1 "2009-11-06T08:18:57Z")
Chayote seems to be a vegetable favored by Mexican-Americans. I have had it several ways (mashed, baked, cooked with corn), and it always tasted bland and watery. Why do people eat this stuff? I recall, years ago, my honeymoo trip to Baja California-the hotel resturant served it every night, as a vegetable…blechh! Do you eat chayote? Why?:smack: ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chayote-squash-tastes-terrible-why-eat-it/516540/2 "2009-11-06T10:57:09Z")
I have tried it a couple of times, nothing I would deliberately eat unless I was hungry and there wasn’t anything else, or I was visiting and eating it to be polite. ---
**Author:** ![hellpaso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecae2f/32.png) [@hellpaso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hellpaso)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chayote-squash-tastes-terrible-why-eat-it/516540/3 "2009-11-06T17:23:08Z")
I think it tastes pretty much like all summer squash. And it’s cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chayote-squash-tastes-terrible-why-eat-it/516540/4 "2009-11-06T17:42:57Z")
I don’t like it cooked (bland, squishy). But it’s very tasty raw. Kind of tastes like the peeled stalk of broccoli (which I also enjoy) without all the work. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chayote-squash-tastes-terrible-why-eat-it/516540/5 "2009-11-06T17:47:11Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > I recall, years ago, my honeymoo trip You married a cow? ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chayote-squash-tastes-terrible-why-eat-it/516540/6 "2009-11-06T17:49:09Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Chayote seems to be a vegetable favored by Mexican-Americans. I have had it several ways (mashed, baked, cooked with corn), and it always tasted bland and watery. Why do people eat this stuff? Down in southern Louisiana, the same vegetable is known as the **mirliton** (pronounced locally as “mella-TAWN”). It is a holiday side-dish staple in our family, trotted out reliably every Thanksgiving, Xmas, and Easter. Mirliton doesn’t have much taste of it’s own, but it reliably takes on the taste of any add-ins (cf. tofu). Here’s [a typical New-Orleans-area recipe for mirliton](http://www.2theadvocate.com/features/food/recipes/65184107.html) from the chef at one of our renowned neighborhood eateries. My mom’s recipe is similar, except she uses way more shrimp and no ham. The finished product is ambrosia – my mom makes many gallons of it during the holidays, and all of our out-of-town relatives take home a few quarts. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chayote-squash-tastes-terrible-why-eat-it/516540/7 "2009-11-06T18:06:48Z")
It’s cheap (free), it fills your tummy, and it doesn’t taste bad. It’s pretty much undetectable in soups, etc. The tender leaves are also edible. Also, it’s leftover from eating the blossoms, which are not so bland. Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![Lucky\_13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucky_13/32/13209_2.png) [@Lucky\_13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucky_13)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chayote-squash-tastes-terrible-why-eat-it/516540/8 "2009-11-06T18:24:58Z")
Chayote squash is commonly grown in Mexico and Central America. In El Salvador, where my family is from, it’s called “guisquil.” (I think that’s how you spell it, there’s a umlaut over the first u so you know you’re supposed to pronounce it.) My mom puts it in soups along with carrots and potatoes, and sometimes she’ll just boil it and eat it with salt when she wants to eat vegetables - nobody else will eat it that way. 😛 She also slices it up, puts some chopped ranchero cheese, tomato and onion filling between two slices, dips the resulting construct (not sure whether to call it a patty or sandwich) in egg batter, and fries it. It’s a little like chiles rellenos, only with squash. I’ve never tried to eat it raw, sounds kinda gross to me. (puking smilie) ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chayote-squash-tastes-terrible-why-eat-it/516540/9 "2009-11-06T22:30:46Z")
For the last 10 or so years i have been working on my cookbook: 101 ways to cook a choko (thats the name for the item here in Oz) t.b.c ---
**Author:** ![DiggitCamara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@DiggitCamara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiggitCamara)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chayote-squash-tastes-terrible-why-eat-it/516540/10 "2009-11-06T23:06:05Z")
Mexican here. Never liked it, probably never will. My mother had the nasty habit to mix it with a potato salad in a way that you couldn’t visually distinguish the potato from the chayote. I loathed that salad. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chayote-squash-tastes-terrible-why-eat-it/516540/11 "2009-11-06T23:26:38Z")
> [@DiggitCamara](#): > > Mexican here. Never liked it, probably never will. > > My mother had the nasty habit to mix it with a potato salad in a way that you couldn’t visually distinguish the potato from the chayote. > > I loathed that salad. But Mija, it’s good for you! (guessing at gender ;)) ---
**Author:** ![DiggitCamara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@DiggitCamara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiggitCamara)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chayote-squash-tastes-terrible-why-eat-it/516540/12 "2009-11-06T23:45:57Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > But Mija, it’s good for you! (guessing at gender ;)) Gender: Dude. And the mom in question is german. Nice try, though. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chayote-squash-tastes-terrible-why-eat-it/516540/13 "2009-11-06T23:58:02Z")
> [@DiggitCamara](#): > > Gender: Dude. > > And the mom in question is german. > > Nice try, though. Oops! Sorry, dude. And, Mom feeds you chayote and doesn’t call you “baby” in spanish? Goodness! ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2009, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chayote-squash-tastes-terrible-why-eat-it/516540/14 "2009-11-07T00:20:59Z")
My favourite way of cooking chokos is with quince: For every quince have 2 or three chokos Slice chokos and place in bottom of a baking dish/casserole Cut up the quinces and place over the top of the chokos Sprinkle liberally (up to 1 cup) with brown sugar and add a dash of orange juice bake in a very slow oven (125-150 degrees C) for 3 or 4 hours The end result is a wonderful burgundy colour and no one would have any idea that it wasn’t all quince. ---
**Author:** ![DiggitCamara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@DiggitCamara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiggitCamara)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2009, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chayote-squash-tastes-terrible-why-eat-it/516540/15 "2009-11-07T00:24:49Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > Oops! Sorry, dude. > And, Mom feeds you chayote and doesn’t call you “baby” in spanish? > Goodness! Them’s the breaks! (or should that be brakes?) She’d probably say “Mein Schatz” or something akin to that. [/hijack]