Chayote, a fruit native to Mexico, rich in amino acids, vitamin C, but above all vitamin B9, is useful for the kidneys and the cardiovascular system. Let's find out better.
Description of the fruit
Among the various interesting cucurbitaceae fruits of tropical origin it is impossible not to mention the chayote ( Sechium edule ), a relative of pumpkin, cucumber and various melons of Mexican origin, as evidenced by the word nahuatl chayotil.
All parts of the plant are edible : the fruit, the leaves, the shoots, the tubers. The fruit has a green and firm flesh, with a consistency halfway between potato and cucumber, rich in water and rather sweetish. There is a white variety on the market, known as "pirulero".
Chayote, ally of
Kidneys, cardiovascular system, bladder. Helps fight arteriosclerosis, kidney stones and hypertension.
Calories, nutritional values and properties of the chayote
100 grams of chayote contain 19 calories.
Furthermore, for 100 g of this product, we have:
- Lipids 0, 1 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Sodium 2 mg
- Potassium 125 mg
- Glucides 4, 5 g
- Dietary fiber 1.7 g
- Sugar 1.7 g
- Proteins 0.8 g
- Vitamin C 7.7 mg
- Calcium 17 mg
- Iron 0.3 mg
- 12 mg magnesium
The pulp and the seed are above all rich in amino acids, vitamin C, but above all vitamin B9, being one of the best vegetable sources. It also has good amounts of vitamins B6, B5 and K, and is a good source of many metals, first among which is zinc.
It is used in many local medicines due to its diuretic, anti-inflammatory, hypotensive properties . In the western world it is indicated for kidney cleansing, in diabetic diets, for fetal formation in pregnant women, and is considered a food with anticancer properties.
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Contraindications of the chayote
None in particular : despite being called "thorny", its hair is not capable of causing damage.
Curiosity
- The chayote has a long list of local names. The name is the Spanish version of a Nahuatl term that stands for "peripheral fruit" . Although it is related to the courgette, it is sometimes called "melanzana spinosa". Along the lines of this name it can also be called "spiny courgette", "spinach", "spiny pear". We also have the names "sechio" (from the scientific name), wolf's tongue, "chow-chow", "pear-marrow", "pipinola".
- The seed has a peculiarity: it is devoid of integument, is separated from the pulp and is somehow "fused" to it. To preserve it, it is necessary to preserve the whole fruit.
How to eat chayote
Following the conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards, the chayote expanded throughout Latin America reaching over the centuries also North America, Asia and Europe. Popular kitchens, especially the poorest ones, have added to their recipes each in their own way.
Most of the recipes include cooked products : stewed, roasted, fried, or better yet quickly sautéed so as not to degrade the sweet taste and the crunchy consistency; it can be said that it is generally treated like a courgette.
It can be eaten raw without any problem, thus favoring the best intake of all its nutritional qualities, and it is generally found finely chopped in salads dressed with lemon or lime. The sprouts are consumed as asparagus and the leaves as if they were spinach. Tubers in Asia use to fry them like potatoes.
