added into preparing shukto. There are two varieties available; dark green and light green. The dark green variety is much more tender than the lighter one, which develops a fibrous texture around its seed if harvesting or consumption is delayed. In Tamil Nadu, South India, chayote is known as maerakkai () or chow-chow () in Tamil and widely used in everyday cooking for recipes like sambar, kootu, poriyal, thuvayal, chutney and mor-kulambu. Chow-Chow is the common name used in the markets. In Karnataka, South India, chayote is popularly referred to as seeme badanekaayi () in Kannada or "Bangalore brinjal"; "brinjal/eggplant/aubergine of the plateau". It is used in vegetable stews like sambar and palya. Africa Chayote is commonly eaten in the islands of the Indian Ocean. In Réunion, the French overseas territory near Mauritius, chou chou, as it is known, is served in many dishes especially in the highlands. A popular starter of chou chou au gratin (baked with a cheese sauce), as a side with a meal and even as a dessert. In Mauritius, it is called sousou and is cultivated in the high plateau of the island. Mixed with beef, pork or chicken chou chou is widely used to make delicious steamed Chinese dumplings called niouk yen (boulette chou chou) or chow mai. Stems and leaves are consumed in bouillon to accompany rice and other dishes. The chou chou is also consumed as pickle, salad, gratin, curry and sauté with beef, egg or chicken. In Madagascar, chayote (known in Malagasy as sôsety) is eaten in dishes such as saosisy sy sôsety (sausage and chayote) and tilapia sy sôsety (tilapia and chayote). Europe In the Portuguese Autonomous Regions of Madeira and Azores, where the vegetable is popular, chayote is called pimpinela (or pepinela) and caiota, respectively. In both regions, chayote is part of the local gastronomy, usually cooked with beans in the shell, potatoes, and corn cobs to accompany fish dishes, usually caldeiradas. In the Azores, chayote is also used in puddings and jams. Folklore Chayote as mock apple pie In Australia, a persistent urban legend is that McDonald's apple pies were made of chokos (chayotes), not apples. This eventually led McDonald's to emphasise the fact that real apples are used in their pies. This legend was based on an earlier belief that tinned pears were often disguised chayotes. A possible explanation for the rumor is that there are a