Locro

Locro (from the Inca's language Quechua "ruqru") is a hearty thick stew popular along the Andes mountain range. The dish is a common plate for the Peruvian cuisine, which at one point held the center of the Inca empire. It is also one of the most typical Argentine dish prepared by the different native Indian tribes at a time of the Spanish conquest. Its origin dates to before the Spanish colonial times.

The defining ingredients are corn, some form of meat (usually beef, but sometimes beef jerky or chorizo), and vegetables. Other ingredients vary widely, and typically include onion, beans, squash or pumpkin. It is mainly eaten in winter.

In Argentina it spread from the Cuyo region to the rest of the country. It is considered a national dish and is often served on May 25, the anniversary of the May Revolution.

In some parts, such as in the Santiago del Estero Province of Argentina, a red hot sauce made from red peppers and paprika known as "quiquirimichi" is served on the side.

External links

* [http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/countries/south-am/argentina/locro-papas.htm Argentine locro recipe]
* [http://www.folkloredelnorte.com.ar/costumbres/locror.htm#papa Ecuadorian locro recipe] (in Spanish)
* [http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/recipe.cgi?r=152550 locro recipe]