What Louisiana vegetable is also known as mirliton?

Chayote is the Louisiana vegetable also known as mirliton.

Chayote is a green, pear-shaped fruit from a climbing plant in the gourd family. In Louisiana, especially in Creole cooking, the name mirliton is widely used. The fruit has a mild flavor and firm flesh, so it can be boiled, baked, stuffed, pickled, or added to stews.

Stuffed mirlitons are a well-known New Orleans preparation. Halved chayote is cooked, hollowed, and mixed with ingredients such as shrimp, crab, breadcrumbs, herbs, or vegetables before being baked. The dish illustrates how a relatively plain vegetable can carry strongly regional flavors.

Chayote is botanically a fruit, although it is usually prepared as a vegetable. It should not be confused with okra, which is also important in Louisiana cooking but belongs to a different plant family and is valued for its thickening mucilage.