Characteristic products
Corn is one of the staples of Panamanian cuisine. Whether cooked or boiled, in flour or kernels, it is used in many recipes. It can also be found on the cob, whole or in pieces. Plantains, with their green skin, are generally fried and served with rice. Rice is a must. It is served at every meal, prepared in a variety of ways: fried, garnished with vegetables or meat, but also in soup or infused with coconut milk. Yuca or manioc - not to be confused with the plant known in France as "yucca" - is prized for its roots, which are widely consumed in Panama. Once stripped of its brown bark, the white flesh is boiled or fried, and serves as the basis for a number of preparations, notably as a side dish. Raw manioc is poisonous, so a long cooking process is necessary to render it fit for consumption.
Meat is often prepared in sauce(guisada), sometimes grilled (a la parrillada), or smoked(ahumada). The most common meats are beef and pork, usually served in chops(chuletas). If you like your meat rare, you may be disappointed, as it is very often served well-cooked. However, check out Argentinian and Colombian restaurants, which usually have some pleasant surprises in store. Chicken will quickly become part of your everyday vocabulary: pollo frito, ahumado, guisado, it's found in every sauce and Panamanians are crazy about it. Stretching between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, fish and seafood are common on seaside restaurant menus, although meat and poultry are generally preferred. Meagre(corvina), red bream, tuna, sea bass, grouper, octopus, shrimp(camarones), lobster or crab are generally offered fried, grilled, with garlic sauce(al ajillo), or with tomato and onion sauce(a la española).
Vegetables do not feature much in Panamanian cuisine, or at least not in large quantities. Yet the volcanic soils of Chiriquí produce an abundance of tomatoes, peppers, squash, carrots and eggplants all year round. Although not very spicy, the local cuisine is tasty, with its abundance of pepper, thyme, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, cloves and ginger.Achiote, or roucou, is as much used for its light nutmeg taste as for its yellow-orange color. Culantro or long coriander is an aromatic herb that grows naturally in Panama. It is closely related to common coriander, or cilantro in Spanish. It has a stronger flavor and is used in many traditional Panamanian dishes.
Breakfast(desayuno) is traditionally eaten very early, especially in the countryside. It is a truly savory meal, with meat, fried eggs(huevos fritos), scrambledeggs (revueltos) or an omelet(torta), and a variety of breads and cakes. In hotels, it's easier to find something sweet in the morning, with hot drinks. Lunch(almuerzo) consists of rice, pulses and usually meat or fish, sometimes with potato salad and plantain. Dessert is not automatic at the end of the meal, but eating a sweet in the afternoon with a hot drink is common. Dinner(cena) is taken fairly early and is rather similar to lunch. Beware: in some villages, it's impossible to find anything to eat after 7pm.
When it comes to restaurants, there are comedor, a small kiosk selling a single dish; fonda, an unpretentious family-run restaurant with a few dishes on the menu; cafeteria, where you ask directly for what you want with your tray, a formula much appreciated by city dwellers; and el restaurante, a more or less sophisticated restaurant with a classic service. International fast-food chains are well established in Panama, as a result of the American influence. There are also specialized local chains, such as Pío Pío - for lovers of chicken in all its forms - or La Ranchera, specializing in hamburgers. This cosmopolitan country also offers a wide range of exotic restaurants, particularly in the capital: Chinese, Italian, Indian, French, Japanese, etc.
Classics of Panamanian cuisine
Panama is home to a multitude of snacks - almost always in the form of fried foods - which are usually eaten at roadside stalls or in markets. Of particular note is the carimañola, an oval-shaped doughnut filled with mashed cassava and minced meat. Empanadas, common throughout Latin America, are fried turnovers filled with minced meat, onions, peppers and sometimes cheese. In Panama, they are often prepared with a dough made from manioc flour and/or corn. Torejitas de maiz nuevos are young corn croquettes, made especially at corn harvest time, when the ears of corn have a slightly sweet taste. Not to be confused with tortillas. Curiously, the Panamanian recipe has nothing in common with that of other Central American countries: here, the patties are thick, firm and deep-fried, sometimes with a meat filling.
A very common breakfast item, hojaldreis a kind of thick, fluffy wheat-flour pancake fried in oil. Also worth mentioning are patanitos, long salted plantain chips. There's also a cassava-based version. Not to be confused with patacones, slices of plantain that are fried, then flattened into a disk and fried a second time. There's also chicharrón, dried pork rind fried in an oil bath, and tasajo, beef marinated in tomato and spices, cooked for a long time, which can also be smoked.
As in the rest of America, tamale is a major specialty. It consists of a corn dough(masa) filled with meat and flavored with condiments (spices, onions, peppers, olives, raisins) that is wrapped in a corn or banana leaf before being cooked in boiling water. Bollo de maiz is a simple dish very similar to tamale, but with no filling. There's also a version with sweeter young corn called bollo de maiz nuevo.
Panama's signature dish, sancocho is a meat-based specialty halfway between a soup and a stew. Usually served with a plate of rice that you like to mix with the hot liquid, sancocho is a nutritious and economical dish. Some people add chicken(sancocho de gallina) or - more rarely - beef. The broth is garnished with corncobs, manioc, peppers, onions, garlic and long coriander(culantro). Originally from Cuba, ropa vieja consists of shredded beef with coriander, cumin and black pepper, served with rice and fried plantain. Finally, carne guisada is a simple beef stew, slow-cooked with potatoes, peppers, tomatoes and onions. It's a complete meal in itself, although it's often served with the indestructible rice-plantain duo. Albondigas are meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce.
Rice is also very popular on its own. Of particular note is arroz frito, which is eaten mixed with chicken (con pollo), seafood (con mariscos) or both(mixto). As a side dish, it is cooked with several varieties of beans(guandú or poroto), but also with coconut milk. Arroz con coco is a real delicacy, especially enjoyed on the Caribbean coast, and goes perfectly with fish or seafood. Guacho de arroz is a thick rice-based soup with vegetables and chicken. A must for the festive season, ensalada de papas is a potato salad with hard-boiled eggs, mayonnaise and boiled beet, which gives it its typical pink color. Other fish and seafood recipes include bacalao con papas, cod with potatoes, and ceviche. The Panamanian version still contains raw fish, onion, lemon juice and coriander, but is much spicier than the Peruvian recipe.
Desserts and drinks
Pineapples, bananas, coconuts, watermelons, papayas, guavas, citrus fruits, passion fruit, mangoes and avocados are the stars of the markets and delight visitors. Note the naranjillas, cousins of the tomato, attractively orange with a green, tangy pulp, or the anones with their very sweet white flesh. The pixbae or pifa - sometimes known as the peach palm or pejibaye - is a local palm whose fruit is cooked in salted water, grilled or ground into flour, depending on the region. It has high nutritional value: proteins, vitamins (A, B2, B3), antioxidants, calcium, etc.
While desserts are not really part of the local diet, you can order a few sweets such as rice pudding(arroz con leche) or flan in restaurants. In bakeries, you'll find a number of pastries and other simple cakes: pound cake, carrot cake, muffins, puddings and so on. And, of course, there's a whole host of fluorescent cream cakes. Local desserts include plantinta, a banana turnover dyed pink and flavored with cinnamon. Platano en tentación is a recipe for plantain caramelized with cane sugar, butter and cinnamon, while chocao panameño is a compote of plantain with coconut milk and ginger. Originally from Colombia, enyucado is a rather dense manioc and coconut cake. Sopa borracha ("drunken soup") is a cake topped with raisins and soaked in a syrup flavored with cinnamon and liqueurs (rum, moscatel, jerez). Finally, cocadas are coconut-flavored rocks that can be found everywhere in bakeries, especially in the Caribbean.
Drinks include the classic chicha, a refreshing blend of fruit juice and water, unless you prefer a batido con leche, or milkshake, which can also be prepared with water (" con agua "), often flavored with blackberry(zarzamora) or strawberry(fresa). Chicheme is made with ground corn, milk and a pinch of cinnamon, simmered for a long time over low heat until thickened. A real delight, and a great dose of energy, to be drunk cold. The lighter agua de pipa is simply coconut water. Add rum or seco to obtain coco loco, unless you prefer an iced infusion of hibiscus flower(flor de Jamaica or saril). Raspao is a kind of crushed-ice granita topped with syrup (tamarind, strawberry, grenadine, lemon, etc.) sold by street vendors with their carts.
Panamanian coffee is delicious. Geisha" coffee - grown at an altitude of 1,800 m - is said to be the most expensive in the world, at nearly €2/gram. Its delicate taste appeals in particular to Asian consumers. But of course, much more affordable coffee is available everywhere, served the American way, i.e. rather light. If you prefer it with milk(café con leche), be warned that it's usually a cloud of condensed milk. If you want it strong, ask for an espresso.
With two industrial breweries, Cerveza Panamá and Cerveza Balboa, beer is Panama's favorite alcoholic beverage. Whether it's Atlas, Balboa, Balboa Ice, 507, Panamá or Soberana, local beers are pale, light and no more than 4°. The country - a major sugarcane producer - has several brands of local rum, including Ron Abuelo and Carta Vieja. Seco is a sugarcane-based brandy, very popular and less expensive than rum. No wine is produced in Panama, but you'll find what you're looking for in Chilean and Argentinian imports.
