[permaculture-oceania] A gastronomic context for those interested in chokoes.

[Liane Colwell]

Some alternative names for chokoes; [and I would love to know of any more as
I collect vegetable and fruit names]

Cnidoscolus chayamansa

Chayote
Custard marrow
Vegetable pear
Mirliton [Louisianna]
Christophene
Christophine [Trinidad]
Tayote [Dominican Republic]
Pepinella
Xu-xu
Cho-cho
Chuchu
Buddha's hand gourd [southern China]

Chokoes originated in Mesoamerica.

The young leaves and shoots can be used as a vegetable. The leaves have a
very high nutrient density. They apparently need to be cooked but I am
unsure from my source if the stinging hairs need to be removed before
steaming like spinach. Can anyone advise me on this.

Valued for its delicate taste. A dieter¹s friend.

In Latin America they are used in some desserts, as a pie filling. Latin
America is the home of vegetable-based desserts especially the Caribbean
with their many sweet potato and corn dishes/cakes/puddings.

Cantonese use it in a soup with pork.

Used as a meat tenderiser in the Caribbean as well as a vegetable ie stuffed
or boiled or baked.

Also made into fritters by grating and then binding with egg, flour and milk
etc then deep-frying.

Mexicans boil the halves in salted water. Then stuff the hollowed-out halves
with crushed nuts, preserved fruits, and the mashed choko, then cover with
crumbs and then bake/grill them.

They also slice them for salads after cooking. Remember they have lot of
spicy sauces [moles and recadoes] so they appreciate some of the gentler
flavoured ingredients like nopales [cactus pads] and chayote/chokoes.

Brazilians peel, cube and boil the choko dice, then cover with a white
/cheese sauce and bake it.

Puerta Ricans boil the halves, then hollow out and fill with meat or cheese
sauces like a Bolognaise sauce, then bake.

On Martinique, they peel the chokoes, then cut lenghtwise into 4 pieces,
without removing the edible seed. It is cooked till tender ie about 20
minutes, then dressed in a vinaigrette and served on lettuce leaves.

The important thing is that they grow easily, mature quickly and even the
seed can be eaten as a snack. What a shame they are so unfashionable.

It seems the only way a cheap vegetable can survive in the market is if it
sweet [pumpkin, sweet potato, beetroot]. And of course over time all the
techniques of cooking them are lost. If they arent able to be cooked in a
few minutes then people arent interested.

Enjoy

Liane Colwell
Exotic Catering

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