Chayote

Chayote (ハヤトウリ in Japanese) is currently in season, and my wife and I have been really enjoying it. Supermarkets in my area do not carry it, so it is usually only eaten by people with gardens, but I saw some being sold at a roadside market today! Our favorite preparation is very simple: stir fry slices of chayote with “bacon” and garlic. It is delicious!

Note: I put “bacon” in quotes because the word is used for quite different foods in different cultures. Japanese bacon is very different from American bacon, for example. From an American perspective, Japanese bacon would usually just be called “ham.”