Chayote Squash, popularly known as Chow-Chow in India is a vegetable belonging to the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. The thin skinned, big pear-shaped vegetable that goes with the botanical name Sechium edule, also referred as mirliton, pipinola, choko, originates from both Mexico and Guatemala. Though it is widely referred as a fruit, it in fact is an edible vegetable and historians believe that it was one among the several vegetables that was introduced to the Old World during Columbian exchange.

Chayote is a Spanish word, and it is known as Choko in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. While it is referred as Christophene in United Kingdom, Ireland, it is called as Siamese Gourd in Indonesia and Malaysia. Whatever the name, there is no denying that this nutritious vegetable with super soft, succulent flesh is delectable to taste. It is one of the staple ingredients in Latin American nations and is consumed both in cooked and raw forms. While uncooked chayote is an integral part of salads or salsas in these countries, in India it is consumed as a curry, dal or kootu.