# Chayote: what to make with it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 15, 2008, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chayote-what-to-make-with-it/441426 "2008-03-15T00:54:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2008, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chayote-what-to-make-with-it/441426/1 "2008-03-15T00:54:29Z")
I picked up some [Chayote](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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? ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2008, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chayote-what-to-make-with-it/441426/2 "2008-03-16T13:16:21Z")
Well, if I am allowed to link to my own site… [Tayotas con huevos](http://www.dominicancooking.com/forums/side-dishes-salads-casseroles/1271-tayotas-huevos-christophines-eggs.html) [Ensalada hervida](http://www.dominicancooking.com/side-dishes-salads-casseroles/1280-ensalada-hervida-boiled-salad.html) Don’t worry, the recipes are in English. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2008, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chayote-what-to-make-with-it/441426/3 "2008-03-16T18:34:39Z")
Ah, thank you **Mighty Girl**. I was afraid this was going to be another my zero reply threads. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2008, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chayote-what-to-make-with-it/441426/4 "2008-03-16T20:11:05Z")
I made Rick Bayless’ Oaxacan yellow mole with chayote, but I was kind of unimpressed. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2008, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chayote-what-to-make-with-it/441426/5 "2008-03-17T05:56:35Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![JR\_Brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JR\_Brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JR_Brown)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chayote-what-to-make-with-it/441426/6 "2008-03-26T21:13:01Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chayote-what-to-make-with-it/441426/7 "2008-03-27T00:01:33Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![DiggitCamara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@DiggitCamara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiggitCamara)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chayote-what-to-make-with-it/441426/8 "2008-03-27T05:51:06Z")
[QUOTE=levdrakon] 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? [/QUOTE] 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. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chayote-what-to-make-with-it/441426/9 "2008-03-27T05:57:54Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chayote-what-to-make-with-it/441426/10 "2008-03-27T06:40:57Z")
[QUOTE=kaylasdad99] 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. [/QUOTE] 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.