Food

The Republic of Panama is a country in Central America, which is bordered by Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, Costa Rica to the west, and the Pacific Ocean to the south. Like other countries in the world, this country with a population of around 4 million people has its own distinctive dishes that are influenced by a mix of Spanish, African, and Native American cultures.

Various and sure to make you drool, here are 7 typical dishes from Panama that you need to know!

Primavera

Primavera is a Panamanian dish consisting of peas, red and yellow peppers, pasta, and other vegetables mixed with some cooked asparagus. Primavera is Italian for spring because this salad can be mixed with spring greens of your choice, such as carrots, morel mushrooms, onions, bok Choy, artichokes, ramp, spinach, radishes, and chives. All types of pasta can be used according to taste to make this salad, but in general the type of pasta used is penne because it has a shape similar to chopped vegetables.

Guacho de Mariscos – Panamanian Risotto

Guacho de Mariscos is the most popular dish and a favorite dish of the people of Panama. This dish is basically a kind of thick rice soup similar to risotto from Italy. Gaucho is made from long white rice, which, is soaked in water before being cooked. The rice in Guacho is cooked with lots of water and a longer cooking time so that the rice turns into thick, creamy rice. The dish is then seasoned and augmented with various ingredients such as pork, chicken or seafood, various nuts, and roots such as yuca and otoe.

Tamal de Olla

The recipe for this dish varies from country to country in Latin America. Tamal de Olla in Panama uses a mix of sweet and salty olives, meat or chicken, bell peppers, capers, and olives, to give it a unique taste. These ingredients are cooked wrapped in bijao leaves, bananas, or boiled in a pot of water. This dish is usually served at special events or celebrations such as Christmas celebrations.

Ropa Vieja

Basically a Panamanian dish, Ropa Vieja is a dish of rice topped with shredded beef. Usually use beef, but some people serve it with venison cooked with spices such as oregano, black pepper, and cumin. To produce savory rice, they will cook using coconut milk and we call this dish Arroz con coco. You can eat with additional foods such as fried plantains.

Sancocho

Sancocho is one of the most traditional foods in Panama. Sancocho consists of chicken or beef as the main ingredient, cooked in a chicken broth mixed with sweet potato, coriander, vegetables, and other spices, and eaten with rice. This dish is composed similarly to Guacho but the rice is not cooked in the broth. This dish is usually eaten as a dish to cure drunkenness.

Sopa Borracha

Sopa Borracha can be a reference for dessert ideas that are easy to make. The dish consists of cakes cut into small squares placed on a serving plate or served individually in glasses, plum or raisins, and topped with a sweet syrup. Traditionally, silver, candy is also added as a garnish.

Cocadas

Cocadas are coconut cookies in the form of small balls made from coconut, cornstarch, vanilla, and almond extract with condensed milk. This cake is made with sweetened condensed milk instead of eggs so this cake tastes so sweet and delicious.

Appetizing and really drooling, right? Of the 7 typical Panamanian dishes above, which dish do you really want to taste?