I picked up some Chayote squash. Now what?
The last time I had one I ended up planting it just for fun. This time I’d like to try actually eating them. Ideas?
Well, if I am allowed to link to my own site…
Tayotas con huevos
Ensalada hervida
Don’t worry, the recipes are in English.
Ah, thank you Mighty Girl. I was afraid this was going to be another my zero reply threads. 
I made Rick Bayless’ Oaxacan yellow mole with chayote, but I was kind of unimpressed.
You should know that the seed inside a chayote is edible and tasty. There’s no need to remove the flesh from the seed, which saves a lot of work.
Veggie soup. Chayote is indispensable for a proper vegetable soup, which must also contain potatoes, zucchini, carrots, onions, garlic and lots of oregano, rosemary, thyme and pepper in a nice, thick, preferably homemade, chicken broth, with or without chunks of dark meat chicken. Corn-on-the-cob, green beans, peas, etc, are optional. Dumplings also work well. For the complete taste treat, serve with lime wedges, chopped raw onion, dry oregano, and fresh or dried chillies to sprinkle over, and slice in some ripe avocado just before eating.
JRB
Hm, I’m feeling kinda sick today and a chicken chayote veggie soup is sounding kinda good, if I can get up the energy to make it. I’ve got all the ingredients, except for zucchini, dumplings and avocado. Does the chayote cook for about as long as potato?
Heh. I don’t know that much about cooking chayote, but I do remember I hated it as a child. My mom used to make us a very good potato salad (german style) but for some reason she mixed chayote in it. And it looked just like the regular potatoes. But tasted completely different… yucky, if I remember it correctly.
I don’t believe I’ve ever tasted chayote, although, they grow plentifully in the produce sections of local supermarkets. Somebody please tell me that the taste bears no resemblance to rutabaga or turnip, and I might be tempted to pick one up and stick it in a soup, or something.
OK, I’ll tell you - the taste bears no resemblance to rutabaga or turnip.
Chayotes are in the cucumber/squash family, while rutabagas and turnips are in the mustard/cabbage family. The taste of a chayote is mild, sort of like a sweet cucumber with nutty undertones.
My sympathies are with DiggitCamara. I can’t imagine chayotes in potato salad - the flavors don’t seem to go together at all.