Chayote is the squash that seems least like a squash. It’s the fruit of a Central American vine, and looks something like a large pear some 5–8 in/12–20 cm long, with a single large seed at the center. Its flesh is finer-textured than the flesh of summer squashes, takes longer to cook, but is otherwise similar in its mild aroma and moist texture. The seed cavity is sometimes stuffed, and the seed sometimes eaten.
From the book On Food and Cooking (2nd edition) by Harold McGee. © 2004 Harold McGee.
By permission of Scribner, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.