Zapallo Loche substitute

Best substitute

Calabaza (West Indian pumpkin), grated

Use the same amount by weight as the zapallo loche you are replacing

Best for arroz con pato

Close match

The key is that loche is used as an aroma, not as a vegetable, so a few tablespoons grated perfume a whole pot. Grated calabaza or West Indian pumpkin at 1:1 is the closest widely available match. Grated kabocha at 1:1 is next best because it is dense and not watery. Butternut works at about 1.5 times the weight but is sweeter and much less musky, so grate it fine and cook it into the sofrito until it dissolves.

Other zapallo loche substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Kabocha squash, grated
Different taste
Use the same amount by weight
Dense, dry and nutty, so it perfumes and thickens a braise without watering it down, which is the practical problem with most squash substitutes.
What changes
Best for
arroz con pato, seco, rice dishes, braises
Sweeter and more chestnut-like than loche's muskiness, and its dark green skin is tough, so peel it before grating. The low water content makes it the best choice for rice dishes where extra liquid ruins the grain.
3Butternut squash, finely grated
Taste and texture differ
1.5 times the weight of loche
The easiest to buy anywhere and perfectly workable if you treat it as a seasoning rather than a vegetable.
What changes
Best for
arroz con pato, seco, braises, soups
Sweeter and considerably less musky, which is why you need more of it. Grate it on the fine side of a box grater and cook it in the aderezo until it breaks down completely, or you get sweet squash chunks and no perfume.
4Zapallo macre
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount by weight
The large Peruvian pumpkin sold in the same markets, and the substitution most Peruvian cooks make when loche is out of season.
What changes
Best for
arroz con pato, seco, espesado, soups
Milder and wetter than loche, so add it earlier and cook it longer to drive off the extra moisture. It is a reasonable stand-in for body and colour but contributes noticeably less aroma.
5Butternut plus a hint of nutmeg or orange zest
Taste and texture differ
1.5 times the weight of loche, plus a pinch of grated nutmeg or a small strip of orange zest
An honest hack to nudge a bland squash towards loche's perfume, since nutmeg supplies muskiness and orange zest supplies the aromatic lift.
What changes
Best for
arroz con pato, duck and goat braises
This will not convince anyone from Chiclayo, but it makes a pot that would otherwise taste flat smell interesting. Use a very small amount, since both additions are easy to overdo and neither belongs in the dish traditionally.
6Frozen grated loche
Close match
Use the same amount by weight
Peruvian groceries and online sellers stock frozen grated loche in small tubs, and because it is the genuine article the aroma is intact.
What changes
Best for
arroz con pato, seco de cabrito, espesado, any traditional recipe
This is the right answer if you can get it. Freezing costs it almost nothing, since the squash is grated and cooked down anyway. Add it frozen straight into the aderezo and let it thaw in the pan.

What is Zapallo Loche?

Zapallo Loche is a pale, curved, thick-skinned squash grown from cuttings in northern Peru, usually shortened to loche or loche squash, and it is valued for its intense musky-sweet aroma rather than its flesh, which is why it is grated in small amounts into a fried aromatic base as a seasoning instead of being cooked in chunks as a vegetable.

Cooking tips

Grate, do not cube. This is the one insight that changes the dish. Loche is a seasoning: a few tablespoons of grated flesh perfume an entire pot of arroz con pato. Cooks who substitute cup-for-cup with cubed butternut end up eating sweet squash pieces and wondering where the aroma went.
Add the grated squash to the aderezo, the fried base of onion, garlic and aji panca, and cook it there until it has broken down into the fat before any liquid goes in. That is when the aroma releases into the oil and gets distributed through the whole dish.
Watch the water. Loche is comparatively dry, and wetter substitutes like butternut or zapallo macre release liquid that throws off the rice-to-liquid ratio in arroz con pato. Cook the grated squash down until the pan looks dry again, then measure your liquid.
A whole loche keeps for weeks at cool room temperature and does not need refrigerating, which is one reason it is so common in northern Peruvian kitchens. Once cut, grate the remainder and freeze it in tablespoon portions, which is exactly how it is sold commercially.
The skin is very hard and is always removed. Peel with a knife rather than a peeler, and if the flesh nearest the skin is fibrous, cut that away too, since it will not break down in the sofrito.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just leave zapallo loche out?

You can, and the dish will still be good, but arroz con pato and seco de cabrito made without it lose the aroma that marks them as northern Peruvian. If you have to omit it, lean harder on the aji panca, aji amarillo and cilantro so the pot still has a strong identity.

Is zapallo loche the same as butternut squash?

No. Loche is a distinct Peruvian squash grown from cuttings rather than seed, with a strong musky perfume that butternut does not have. Butternut is a workable substitute because it is available everywhere, but it is sweeter and much milder, so you need about half again as much and you should grate it finely.

What does loche taste like?

The flesh itself is mildly sweet and not especially remarkable. What people notice is the smell: deeply musky, almost floral, closer to a ripe melon crossed with a pumpkin than to any ordinary squash. That aroma is the reason it is used at all.

How much loche goes in arroz con pato?

Less than most people expect. A typical recipe for four uses only two to four tablespoons of grated loche for the whole pot, cooked into the aderezo. If you are substituting butternut, that becomes three to six tablespoons grated.

Where can I buy zapallo loche?

Peruvian grocers, and online sellers who ship frozen grated loche in tubs, which is by far the most practical option outside Peru. Fresh whole loche is hard to find abroad and is mostly a Lambayeque and northern Peruvian market item.

Related substitutes

More vegetables & aromatics substitutes

Zapallo Loche substitute

Other zapallo loche substitutes

2Kabocha squash, grated

3Butternut squash, finely grated

4Zapallo macre

5Butternut plus a hint of nutmeg or orange zest

6Frozen grated loche