The resulting dulce de chilacayote is handed out to visitors and revelers visiting the various altars set up for the Virgin Mother. This holy day is celebrated on the Friday before Palm Sunday, and the squash is traditionally cut into large pieces and candied.
In Mexico, the Chilacayote is given as an offering to the Virgin Mary on Viernes de Delores or the Friday of Sorrows. The more tender, young Chilacayotes can be stored for up to two weeks in the refrigerator. Mature Chilacayote squash can be stored in a cool, dry environment for several years, hence its nickname Seven Year melon, and even after years of storage, the flesh will remain fresh and may even grow sweeter. Chilacayote squash pairs well with leeks, onion, garlic, serrano pepper, mushrooms, millet, quinoa, tomato sauce, gruyere cheese, asadero cheese, orange, and lime. The seeds can also be consumed and are sometimes roasted and eaten like peanuts. Chilacayote flesh can also be cut into pieces, boiled, and removed like spaghetti squash to be served with main dishes or it can be used to make a beverage with pineapple or sweetened milk. The wedges are cooled, dusted with powdered sugar, and then left overnight to dry, taking on a candied look and a chewy texture. To make this sweet, the rind is removed, the fruit is cut into smaller segments, and it is boiled for a long period in water along with piloncillo, which is an unrefined liquid made from boiled down sugar cane juice and spices like anise and cinnamon. The mature Chilacayote is most often used to make a popular Central American confection called dulce de chilacayote. When mature, the rind of the Chilacayote squash is very hard and must be cut off with a sharp knife. It can be used immature, when the rind is still soft and easier to work with and can be cooked like zucchini, sliced and sautéed or stuffed after boiling. The seeds are also high in protein.Ĭhilacayote squash is best suited for both raw and cooked applications such as boiling and baking. Both the flesh and the seeds of the Chilacayote squash are used in culinary applications, and the squash is known for its excellent storage capabilities.Ĭhilacayote squash contains a unique vitamin known as vitamin B8, or D-chiro inositol and this nutrient is used as a natural antihyperglycaemic, or insulin mediator, for diabetics. It is also known as the Seven Year melon and Malabar gourd and is more commonly known as the Fig Leaf gourd or Fig Leaf squash in the United States. The name Chilacayote comes from the Nahuatl word “Tzilacayotli,” as do several other variations of the name throughout Latin America.
A relatively unique squash variety, Chilacayote is often mistaken for a spotted watermelon, and the confusing appearance may also be responsible for the many different names this squash is known as. When cooked, Chilacayote squash is mild, very neutral in taste, and readily absorbs flavors of other ingredients.Ĭhilacayote squash is available in the late winter and spring.Ĭhilacayote, botanically classified as Cucurbita ficifolia, grows on long climbing vines that can reach up to fifteen meters in length and is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family along with melons, cucumbers, and gourds. Each Chilacayote squash has a varied number of seeds, but some fruits can hold up to five hundred individual seeds. The flesh is a bright white and has a spongy, moist texture that encases many flat, black to dark brown seeds. When the squash matures, the rind becomes very hard and inedible. Young, small Chilacayote squash is entirely edible with the skin, flesh, and seeds being thin and tender. The smooth and firm rind ranges in color from light green to dark green and is mottled with cream-colored spots and occasional streaks running the length of the fruit. Chilacayote squash is oblong and elongated, similar in shape to a watermelon, with an average diameter of twenty centimeters and has a rough, dark brown stem.
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