Acknowledgments

Pure flavor, tradition, and history. According to Héctor Solís, the chef at the restaurant Fiesta and a researcher specializing in this iconic product, loche is the identity of a people called Lambayeque: “In Peru, this is one of the major differences that sets Lambayeque’s cuisine apart from other regional styles. At the international level, it is a symbol of our uniqueness. Strictly speaking, it is something that cannot be replicated. A flavor like this is irreplaceable.” The loche (Cucurbita moschata duchesne), known variously in English as the crookneck squash or pumpkin, was granted Protected Designation of Origin status on December 3, 2010, by the Peruvian National Institute for the Defense of Free Competition and the Protection of Intellectual Property (INDECOPI).

According to Ronald García Benites, a farmer’s son and a grower himself, the community that harvests the most loche is Pomac III, in Pacora District, province and department of Lambayeque, helping to preserve this tradition over time, generation after generation. “To this very day, my father, Juan García Coronado, continues to grow it. More than just a necessary ingredient found in countless Peruvian kitchens, for us farmers in Pomac III, the loche equals tradition.”

According to archaeological and anthropological studies, the loche has been part of Peruvians’ diet since the Lithic (15000 BC–7600 BC) and early Archaic periods (7600 BC–1700 BC). It is also identified with the region’s Moche ancestors, for whom the vegetable played such an important role that they depicted it in the art found on their ceramics.

“We’re proud that the earth has blessed us with such a majestic product, so subtle in its aroma, texture, and flavor,” says García. This superfood—rich in vitamins A, C, B, B2, and B5, as well as calcium, phosphorus, and iron—is now being studied and researched in universities, and has been the subject of a number of undergraduate and graduate dissertations. However, considering its many virtues, Ronald believes there still much to be done to further raise its visibility, giving it the place it deserves at Peruvian tables.