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.
Typical Panamanian foods are mildly flavored, without the pungency of some of Panama’s Latin American and Caribbean neighbors. Common ingredients 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 cornflour 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. (1)
1. Carimañola – Meat Stuffed Yuca
Meat Stuffed Yuca
In Panamanian Cuisine Carimañolas are often served as a breakfast or snack in Panama and Colombia, easy and delicious! Recipe and Photos from Goya
Have you ever eaten yuca fries? If not, you may be completely lost as to what I am talking about! Maybe you are wondering, what are yuca fries? Or maybe even, what is yuca? What is the difference between yuca and yucca? Recipe and Photos from The Gifted Gabber
Panamanian Cuisine beef stew, made with natural ingredients, is simply delicious. Panamanian food is your tried and true comfort food beef stew with a Latin American twist! Learn how to make this stew with homemade sofrito and recaito for and spicy authentic flavor. The dish also reheats well for a quick meal. Recipe and Photos from Ethnic Spoon
There’s a hodgepodge of influences there – Spanish, African and Native American (amongst others) – forming a cuisine that isn’t dissimilar to its neighbors. Aside from many edibles that have something to do with corn, plantain, rice and beans, seafood pops up quite a bit. The word Panamá does mean “abundance of fish”, after all, so it’s a given that it plays a big part in the country’s cuisine. Recipe and Photos from He Needs Food
A hearty dish made with rice, vegetables, calamari, shrimp, mussels and octopus, this seafood stew, Guacho de Mariscos, is a traditional Panamanian Cuisine recipe that can be enjoyed throughout the year. Recipe and Photos from Curious Cuisiniere
Creamy tasty dessert from Panama. This dessert is so delicious. Everyone loved it. We did make our own whipped cream from scratch super quickly and it turned out great. I am positive you will not regret making this! Recipe and Photos from Food.com
Arroz con pollo is a traditional dish in Spain and Latin America. Each country has fine-tuned it and considers it to be its own classic dish. With its yellow/orange hue, this rice dish looks similar to a paella, but as the name describes, the only protein in arroz con pollo is chicken. On our trip to Panama, we saw it on nearly every menu. Here’s a simple way to make it. Recipe and Photos from Susos Fork
This delicious, economical dish is flavored with chicken, a popular South American herb named culantro, a variety of root vegetables that is high in starch content, that helps to naturally thicken the broth and fresh corn. Culantro is the flavor you’re going to find in sancocho, even more than the chicken. Not only is it the flavor of Panama, but many other islands and countries in South America. Recipe and Photos from 196 Flavors
Ropa Vieja translates to “old clothes” in English. It is a dish that consists of shredded or pulled stewed beef with vegetables. Recipe and Photos from Love 2 BBQ
For a bit more color after cubing the pork,fry in about 2 Tablespoons oil until lightly browned. If you wanted to, you could add some crushed red pepper flakes or more Chili powder to up the heat factor. Recipe and Photos from Recipe Zazz
Sopa Borracha is a delicious traditional rum cake from Panama that is soaked in a spiced syrup that includes rum and sherry and is usually served with prunes and raisins. Recipe and Photos from Comber Beber
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