The darling at Salazie. In Reunion, the favorite always evokes the circus of Salazie. And for good reason, it reigns supreme there and the climatic conditions seem ideal for its proliferation. Cultivated from the beginning of the XNUMXth century by farmers in search of new resources following the economic crisis that affected the island, the chouchou turned out to be an exceptional vegetable in which all the parts were used, which earned it the strange nickname of "vegetable pig".
The root or “patate chouchou” is used to make cakes and the shoots give the famous “brèdes chouchou”. Its fruit with fresh, white flesh is very easy to cook and the dried stems are used for crafts. The fruit pulp is also used as a face mask.
Originally grown on trellises, chouchou is a climbing plant that thrives in cool regions and does not need much maintenance to produce and reproduce. It even grows wild, covering the ground with a characteristic carpet of greenery in Salazie, where more than 90% of local production comes from.
Raw or cooked, the darling sits at the table
Cut into large slices, strips, cubes or even “beaten”, the chouchou can be cooked in all ways: in gratins, salads, stews, cakes or even in jams. In a curry, the chouchou brings an additional flavor to the meat in the chicken chouchou or the cod for example.
Raw and cut into slices, it is put in vinegar to make pickles. Finally, the young tender shoots, called "brèdes chouchou" are scorched and prepared in a fricassee or in a broth.
Composed of 90% water, the chouchou is very popular from a dietary point of view because it is a very low-calorie food, rich in potassium and vitamin C.
Tip: remember to peel the darling under running water, or after cooking.
Trail of favorites in Salazie
The art of braiding darling straw is a skill passed down from generation to generation in Salazie.
At the beginning of the XNUMXth century, the darling grown in Salazie was a real economic engine for the circus. Known as “Italian straw” because it passed through that country, the straw was sold to hatters in Europe. After this period when this more or less raw material was sold, craftsmanship developed and the making of baskets, hats, capelines, bertels and dresses for dolls marked several generations.
To obtain the raw material, the chouchou vine is cut in half lengthwise. The stalk is then carefully washed and dried, turning into a silky silver-white fiber and giving ribbons of straw ready to be worked.
Braiding the favorite straw then still requires a lot of patience. For a single hat, nearly 10 meters of woven straw are needed, which represents around twenty hours of work to make just one.
Today, a small number of braiders continue to perpetuate the tradition and to save this heritage, the darling straw is modernizing and getting up to date by being available in more modern objects such as laptop or checkbook pockets, wallets -passport, earrings or small boxes.
The Chouchou Festival: a traditional event
In Reunion, there are many festivals honoring local products. And in Salazie, it is in the magnificent little village of Hell-Bourg that the darling is celebrated every year.
An event with a strong economic and agricultural character, the Chouchou Festival is an opportunity to highlight the farmers who come to sell their production there and the craftsmen who share their know-how around this plant in terms of culinary and artisanal processing.
