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Réunion
It carpets the slopes of the cirque de Salazie, is eaten in gratins as well as achards, and its plaited vine once crowned the elegant women of Europe: chouchou is the “vegetable pig” of La Réunion.
Vegetable from Réunion.
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Chouchou has been cultivated on La Réunion since the beginning of the 20th century: farmers seeking new resources after an economic crisis adopted it. A climbing plant first grown on trellises, it also grows wild and carpets the ground across Salazie, where more than 90% of local production originates.
At the beginning of the century, chouchou supported the cirque's economy: its straw, known as “Italian straw” because it transited through that country, was sold to European hatmakers.
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Almost everything is used from this plant: the root, the “patate chouchou”, goes into making cakes; the young shoots, “brèdes chouchou”, are cooked; the dried stems supply handicrafts; the pulp of the fruit is even used in face masks. This remarkably useful nature has earned it the nickname of the “vegetable pig”.
Elsewhere, it is known by the names “christophine” or “chayote”.
Each year, the Fête du Chouchou is held in Hell-Bourg, a village listed among the “Plus Beaux Villages de France”. It showcases farmers selling their produce and artisans sharing their culinary and craft know-how. On the fairground, visitors come to discover terroir products, taste, watch a cookery competition, or listen to concerts.
Aspect
several forms coexist. The “chouchou carreau”, completely white and hairless, grows along the ground; the first chouchou introduced to La Réunion was small, vivid green, and bristly, and eventually mutated into a smooth version that is grafted.
The plaiting of chouchou straw is a craft passed down from generation to generation.
the vine is split lengthwise.
until a silvery-white fibre is obtained.
a single hat requires around 10 metres of plaited straw, amounting to some twenty hours of work.
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The fruit is prepared in gratins, in salads, in daubes, in cakes, or as jam; it also enlivens curries, with chicken or cod. Raw, it is marinated in vinegar as achards, and the young shoots are prepared in a fricassée or broth. At the festival, it can also be found stuffed or juiced, with pineapple or lemon. Composed of 90% water, low in calories, and rich in potassium and vitamin C, it is easier to peel under a trickle of water or after cooking.
Chouchou de Salazie carries no official quality mark (PDO (AOP), PGI (IGP), Label Rouge): it is a terroir vegetable, celebrated every year by the Fête du Chouchou in Hell-Bourg.
No producer is listed for this product yet.