Flavoursome yet delicate, chouchou gratin is an appetiser which is particularly popular with Réunion locals and passing tourists. Chayote, known as chouchou on Réunion, is a large green or white berry shaped like an elongated pear, with a flavour similar to courgette and potato. With its high water content - making it low in calories - and high vitamin C, B9 and trace element content, this fruit belonging to the cucurbitaceae family has plenty of health benefits!
While chouchou is of course delicious in a salad or mash, it is also good au gratin. To make it, you first boil or steam the chayotes, before peeling and dicing them. Once they are laid out in a greased baking dish, you cover the chouchou pieces with béchamel flavoured with garlic and nutmeg, before sprinkling grated gruyere cheese over it all and baking it in the oven. According to taste, you can add bacon, ham, swordfish pieces or prawns to the recipe.
A major tourist destination on Réunion and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Salazie cirque is not only famous for its beautiful green scenery but also for chouchou-growing! A festival devoted to this famous speciality, with entertainment, concerts and tastings, takes place every June in Hell-Bourg.