Chila

The name or term Chila may refer to:

Places

• Chila, Khulna Division, a town in Bangladesh
• Chila, Puebla, a municipality in the Mexican state of Puebla
• Chila, Tahtay Maychew, a town in the Tigray region in Ethiopia
• Chila Wildlife Sanctuary, a nature reserve near Haridwar, India

People

• Chila Kumari Burman, a British-Asian artist
• Hugo Chila (born 1987), an Ecuadorian long and triple jumper

Cuisine

• Chila Or Chilla, an Indian pancake, made with gram flour batter, popular street and fast food.

• The squash plant Cucurbita ficifolia is called Chila or Gila in Portugal (it's spelled both ways there) and is used extensively in the production of traditional Portuguese sweets and desserts. It's also used in Latin America, where it's called Chilacayote and is also used to make a candied sweet. In France and Spain the squash is used to make an old traditional sweet called "angel's hair." In Spain the plant is called Calabaza Cabello de Angel and in French Potiron Cheveux d'Ange. Other names include Malabar Gourd, Thin Vermicelli Pumpkin and Fig-leaf Squash. Yet another name is Shark Fin Melon, because the cooked shredded flesh (similar to spaghetti squash) is used in soup as a substitute for the very expensive and endangered real shark fin.

• The traditional Portuguese "doce de chila/gila" is easy to prepare but takes a couple of days to complete properly. All the original Portuguese recipes are very explicit in insisting that the chila/gila squash should be broken into pieces by smashing it against the floor (first tying the squash in a plastic grocery bag to avoid a huge mess). Cutting the squash with a knife or using metal utensils on the raw flesh is said to produce an unpleasant fishy taste that ruins the sweet. Once the squash is opened, the seeds and yellowish veiny fibers holding the seeds in place should be removed by hand (or using a wooden or plastic implement) and discarded, being sure that all the yellowish veins are removed because they also cause a bad taste. The cleaned squash pieces should be placed in a non-reactive bowl of cold water, skin-side up, which should be changed 2 or 3 times (best soaked overnight) until the pieces stop producing foam. The squash pieces should then be put into boiling water (preferably in a non-reactive pan) for about 30 minutes or until the flesh starts shredding and separating from the skin, then removed from the heat and allowed to cool. The fibrous flesh should be separated from the skin and shredded by hand, or using a wooden or plastic implement, then rinsed and drained dry. The same weight of sugar as shredded squash flesh, plus half its weight in water, should be dissolved in a pan to make a syrup. Add a stick of cinnamon and the zest of one lemon. Bring to a boil. When the syrup reaches the pearl stage (108ºC/225ºF on a candy thermometer) add the shredded squash, stirring constantly. Continue cooking until the bottom of the pan can be seen clearly when stirring (110ºC/230ºF). Remove from the fire, then spoon the candied squash into sterilized jars. Store refrigerated. The candied squash can be eaten by itself as a spoon sweet, or used as an ingredient in endless Portuguese dessert recipes, where it provides a luscious moistness and rich texture for which there's no real substitute.

• In Catalonia a similar sweet is made called "cabell d'àngel" with a simplified recipe. The sweet is used by itself or as a filling for other pastries and confections.

See also

• Chilla, cucurbita ficifolia