Locro (from the Quechua ruqru) is a hearty thick squash stew, associated with Native Andean civilizations, and popular along the Andes mountain range. It is one of the national dishes of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, Paraguay, Northwest Argentina and Southwestern Colombia. Composition The dish is a classic squash, corn, beans, and potato or pumpkin soup well known along the South American Andes. In some regions locro is made using a specific kind of potato called "papa chola", which has a unique taste and is difficult to find outside of its home region. The defining ingredients are squash, 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 Ecuador, a variant known as yahuarlocro is popular. It incorporates lamb entrails and lamb blood to the recipe. In Argentina its consumption has spread from the Northwest and Cuyo to the rest of the country. In the Argentine province of Neuquén, in addition to locro made with corn, a kind of locro is prepared with peas, and in the Northeast of Argentina locro is also prepared on the basis of cassava. Although the Argentine locro has Indo-American origins, its preparation in Argentina for at least three centuries synthesizes the European gastronomic contributions: for example, pork, chorizos, ‘mondongo’ and numerous seasonings have been contributed by the Europeans (especially by the Spanish). There are several classic types of locro: corn, beans, cassava and wheat, although an expert cook can make an excellent synthesis of two or more of these types of locro to include all the ingredients. Thus, the Argentine locro is prepared according to a multitude of recipes, the only invariable thing being its vegetable base and the cooking procedure, over low heat for several hours. According to the region, it is prepared with fresh or dried beef ‘charqui’, offal such as tripa gorda or chinchulín, mondongo, sausages and pork ribs or offal (hands, feet, tail, ears and hide, bacon, fat); the meats are cooked separately and then added to the preparation of vegetables among which usually stand out the pumpkin (especially the round one of grayish skin called for this reason zapallo plomo), which usually gives its yellow color to the locro, and white corn grains, beans and even wheat grains -in Argentina locro with white corn grains is