The difference between Buddha's hand and chayote

There is a big difference between the Buddha's hand we often talk about and the chayote, which many people may not know. The chayote is a kind of vegetable in the Cucurbitaceae family, which is called An pumpkin, harvest melon, etc. in some places. Buddha's hand is a plant of the genus citrus in the Rutaceae family. In some areas, it is called bergamot. It is similar to fruit and can be eaten directly after peeling or served cold. It tastes delicious.

Different families

Chayote belongs to the genus Chayote of the Cucurbitaceae family. It is also called An pumpkin, longevity melon, harvest melon, foreign melon, etc. Buddha's hand is a plant of the genus Citrus in the Rutaceae family, and is also known as bergamot, five-finger citron or five-finger orange.

Appearance Difference

From the appearance, the difference between the two is also very big. As the name suggests, Buddha's hand has a strange shape, like a palm with fingers spread out, or like a fist. When the Buddha's hand fruit is not yet ripe, the skin color is green, and when it is fully ripe, it turns into a very eye-catching golden yellow.

Unlike Buddha's hand, the shape of chayote is roughly pear-shaped, and there are 5 obvious longitudinal grooves on the surface of the fruit, as well as a suture line at the top. The chayote with green skin is relatively tender, but when it gets a little older, the skin will turn white. The flesh of the chayote is milky white.

use

Chayote is mainly used for food. It can not only be eaten as a vegetable for cold dishes, stir-frying, making soups, etc., but also can be eaten raw as a fruit. The uses of Buddha's hand are quite extensive. The flesh of bergamot is white, tender, crispy and sweet. It can be eaten fresh or processed as food to make candied fruit, bergamot tea, fragrant wine, etc. In addition, bergamot also has medicinal effects. It is usually cut into slices and dried before use. It has the effects of regulating qi and resolving phlegm, as well as soothing the liver and stomach. It is generally used to treat symptoms such as cough with phlegm, chest tightness and abdominal distension, liver and stomach pain, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting.