Chayote (Sechium edule) is a climbing perennial plant that has long, thick roots with branches 10 – 12 m long. It produces edible gourds that are highly variable in shape and shades of green in color. Chayote features in many Cuban recipes, both sweet and savory. The vegetables can be opened and stuffed with meats, vegetables and seasonings and baked. Boiled, diced chayote can also be pureed and used to fill halves of squashes, sprinkled with ground cinnamon or crushed peanuts and served as a snack or dessert. In addition, the roots of the plant can also be consumed roasted, boiled, fried, and, occasionally, candied. The shoots are often eaten boiled.
Chayote grows well in Cuba’s warm climate throughout the year, and while it still thrives in nearby countries, its commercial cultivation has largely decreased in Cuba. Today, it is mainly grown in private gardens or small farms, and its consumption is limited. It is not widely found marketed nationally. Therefore, the related culinary customs and traditions connected with cooking chayote risk being lost, with this once common vegetable falling into disuse among younger generations.
El chayote (Sechium edule) es una planta trepadora perene con raíces largas y gruesas y ramas largas como de 10 a 12 cms. Produce calabazas comestibles de forma muy variada y con sombras verdes. El chayote aparece en muchas recetas cubanas ya sea en dulces como en saladas. Las verduras pueden ser abiertas y rellenadas con carne, verduras y sabores para ser sucesivamente cocinadas al horno. Es posible preparar un puré de chayote hervido y cortado en pedazos, utilizada para rellenar la calabaza con canela en polvo y maní triturado encima, es servida como snack o postre. A su vez, las raíces de la planta pueden ser consumidas tostadas, hervidas, fritas y a veces hasta endulzadas. Los brotes son consumidos hervidos. El chayote crece bien en el clima caliente de Cuba durante todo el año. Mientras prospera en los países limítrofes, la cultivación a nivel comercial en Cuba es notablemente disminuida. Hoy es cultivado principalmente en huertos privados o en pequeñas granjas agrícolas y el consumo es limitado. Su comercialización a nivel nacional no es tan grande y por esta razón los usos en cocina ligados al chayote están en riesgo de perderse y esta verdura corre el riesgo también de caer en desuso entre los jóvenes.
The traditional products, local breeds, and know-how collected by the Ark of Taste belong to the communities that have preserved them over time. They have been shared and described here thanks to the efforts of the network that that Slow Food has developed around the world, with the objective of preserving them and raising awareness.
The text from these descriptions may be used, without modifications and citing the source, for non-commercial purposes in line with the Slow Food philosophy.
Students of the Gastronomic Sciences at Pollenzo are collaborating with Slow Food to fill the Ark.
