chayote; christophine
A green, pear-shaped vegetable (Sechium edule) used in various cuisines. In Japanese, often used in salads, pickles, or stir-fries.
I sliced chayote thinly and added it to the salad.
In this region, pickled chayote is commonly eaten.
Katakana spelling is common for this plant name; usually written in kana.
Kanji spelling; rarely used in practice.
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; rarely used.
Written 隼人瓜, from 隼人, an old name associated with southern Kyushu, and 瓜 “gourd.” The plant was introduced to Japan through Kagoshima, prompting the regional name.