Shu-shu

Here is a newly discovered food I think I'll love once I find a good recipe... When I checked out at the market recently, they had run out of credit notes to give in place of change.  I quickly scanned the vegetables for something worth less than a dollar.  Here is the result:

Meet a vegetable with a hundred names.  Known as shu-shu or chow-chow (both pronounced shoo-shoo), to our country, the rest of the world knows this vegetable as xuxu, pear squash, cho-cho, mirliton, merleton, christophene, vegetable pear, centinarja, chouchoute, choko, pipinola, guisquil, or most commonly, chayote. 

Like so many unique locally grown produce here, I have found once again that the origin of this veggie is actually Latin America.  Shu-shu is a relative of melons, cucumber, and squash. The entire vegetable can be eaten, most often cooked.  It can also be baked, mashed, boiled, fried, raw, or pickled. Technically considered a fruit, shu-shu is famous for growing abundantly and being rich in vitamin C and amino acids.  Its unimposing flavor gives it little commercial value, but its willingness to grow means it can be found on many a family farm here in Africa. 

Some varieties are greener, but this is what we have in our country... a cream colored veggie inside and out.

We eat the whole thing, dark center and all.

(Odd shapes because I have cut some bad parts out.)

Here our shu-shu is stir fried until wilty but slightly crispy. Name aside, it is a very easy veggie. Jonas cannot hear the words without bursting into giggles.