Trying New Things: Chayote

I like new foods. I pretty much want to try anything, especially fruits and vegetables, because that's totally guilt free. It's not like trying say, Southern fried chicken. I honestly can't remember ever having eaten that. But, I have eaten chayote. I found it sitting amongst the ordinary produce at Safeway and could not resist. It was pretty inexpensive, too. I'm reluctant to spend a lot of money when I don't know something will be good. Here's what it looked like before I got to cooking it:
It was light green, firm, and pear shaped.

I wasn't really sure what chayote was like or how to cook it. But, that's what the Internet is for. I found this promising recipe on Epicurious. By a twist of fate, I had all the ingredients on hand. It's not that surprising though, since you only need chayote, garlic, parsley, green onions, and of course salt and pepper for seasoning. Basically, it's a quick saute to yield crisp tender results. I included the pit and skin because I read that both were edible and I'm all for eating the whole thing.

It looks pretty good, don't it?

The flavour and texture were superb. There was a nice crispness to the texture, almost like a perfect apple. The flavour of the chayote was sweet and accented perfectly by the sweetness and richness of the butter. It was plenty buttery and I used less than the recipe recommends. So, you can cut back a little. . . or you know go nuts. The garlic added a nice, garlicky flavour, that complemented the sweet chayote. It should not be skipped. The green onions and parsley seemed more like garnishes, which I suppose they were. But, they look and taste good.

Trying new things is fun and rewarding, especially when you take a chance on something as tasty as chayote. According to Wikipedia, it's a member of the gourd family and is an important part of the Mexican diet. But, Wikipedia claims the flesh is "mild." I'd say it has a pleasant subtle sweetness. Moral of the story, if you see chayote looking all nice in a store or market, but it and try it. You won't be disappointed.