Panamanian cuisine

Panamanian cuisine is a mix of African, Spanish, and Native American techniques, dishes, and ingredients, reflecting its diverse population. Since Panama is a land bridge between two continents, it has a large variety of tropical fruits, vegetables and herbs that are used in native cooking.
Common ingredients in Panamanian food are maize, rice, wheat flour, plantains, yuca (cassava), beef, chicken, pork and seafood.
Dishes
Corn-based dishes come from the kernel, cooked in water and then ground in order to obtain a dough (as opposed to using corn flour to obtain the dough). Fresh corn is also used in some dishes. Due to the multicultural background of the Panamanians, many of its dishes are heavily influenced by the cuisine of other Latin American countries and also the Caribbean as well as European. Some of the main meals, dishes and specialties include:
Almojábanos – "S" shaped corn fritters.
Arroz con camarones y coco – rice with shrimp and coconut milk.
Arroz con chorizo y ajíes dulces
Arroz con pollo
Arroz con puerco y vegetales
Arroz verde
Bistec de higado – liver steak
Bistec picado – chopped beefsteak.
Bollos – corn dough wrapped in nahuala palm leaves, corn husk or plantain leaves and boiled. There are two main varieties: fresh corn bollos (bollos de maíz nuevo) and dry corn bollos. The dry corn type is sometimes flavored with butter, corn, or stuffed with beef, which is called bollo "preñado" (lit. "pregnant bollo"). Bollos have been described as a type of tamale.
Carne entomatada
Carimañola – similar to an empanada, but made from yuca and stuffed with beef
Ceviche – commonly made from corvina and tilapia
Chorizo con vegetales
Chuletas en salsa de piña
Empanadas – made either from flour or corn, and stuffed with meats and/or vegetables, cheese, and sometimes sweet fillings, such as fruit marmalade or manjar blanco (dulce de leche).
Ensalada de papas – potato salad, called ensalada de feria when beetroot is added.
Fried fish
Gaucho soup
Hojaldres/Hojaldras – a type of fry-bread, similar to South American countries, known in other countries as "blach tostones".
Lengua guisada – stewed beef tongue
Mondongo a la culona – stewed beef tripe
Palm tree flower – prepared like spaghetti
Pernil de puerco al horno – roasted pork leg
Plátano en tentacion – ripe plantain cooked in a sweet syrup.
Ropa vieja
Salpicón de carne
Sancocho
Tamal de olla
Tamales
Tortillas – these can be around ten to twelve inches in diameter (these are always cooked on a griddle), or smaller, around four inches (most of the time these are fried).
Torrejitas (Pastelitos) de maíz – A fresh corn fritter.
Tortilla Changa – a thick tortilla made out of fresh corn.
Tasajo – dried, sometimes smoked meat, usually from beef though the word refers mainly to the mode of curing rather than the type of meat.
Desserts
Bocadillo – Hardened square milk candies.
Bocado de la reina
Bolitas de tamarindo – Sugar balls with tamarind fruit.
Cabanga
Cocadas
Cocadas – Coconut rolled candy made from condensed milk.
Dulce de papaya
Flan – Rimmed pastry or sponge base containing a sweet or savoury filling.
Gollería – sweetened plantain fritter
Huevitos de leche- Balls of milk candy
Mamallena
Manjar or manjar blanco
Mazamorra or pesada de nance
Meringue – Whipped eggs and sugar baked.
Orejitas – Ear shaped sugar coated flour.
Queque
Seasonal pineapple – grown in Panama using a hybrid of Hawaiian pineapple, it is very sweet
Sopa borracha
Suspiros – Wafers made from flour that release air when you bite.
Tres leches
Drinks
In Panama there were bars that catered to local businessmen, tourists and gamblers and some that were frequented by US military personnel. The latter mostly had a reputation as "shot and beer" dives with unknown names. One of these bars, Kresch's Place published a drink recipe book. Several of the drinks are named after bases, submarines, forts, ships and other military institutions. The "U.S.S. 44 Special" was Old Tom gin, sloe gin and lime juice. The U.S.S. Mallard was aged rum (Panamanian, Venezuelan and Colombian), red vermouth, Bénédictine, absinthe, Angostura bitters garnished with lemon peel. The cover of the recipe book shows soldiers, sailors and an Army officer drinking.
Beer
Chicha
Chicheme
Coffee
Fresh fruit juices (licuados or jugos naturales) – pineapple, passionfruit, papaya, orange, tree tomato, etc. are prepared by blending fresh fruit and straining; typically heavily sweetened and optionally with condensed milk added
Malteada – a malted eskimo-like milkshake without ice cream
Resbaladera
Ron ponche<ref name="García"
Saril – a drink containing sorrel sepals, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, sugar, water, and a splash of rum)
Seco Herrerano
Spices
Achiote – common in Panamanian cuisine
Aji chombo – a hot pepper grown in local regions
Special occasions
Christmas
The traditional Panamanian dish for Christmas usually includes chicken tamales, arroz con pollo (rice with chicken), puerco asado, pernil, pavo (turkey), and relleno (stuffing). Bowls of fruits and fruitcake are set out on the tables along with the dishes. Along with these foods and dessert, a traditional drink is served called ron ponche (eggnog).
See also
References
Further reading
External links