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 recipes 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.
History of Panamanian Food
Panama is perhaps not the first country that springs to mind when it comes to countries famed for their culinary sophistication around the world. But don’t be fooled by this little-known gourmet hotspot.
These typical Panamanian meals will give you a sense of the country. Panama has hosted Spaniards, Africans, Chinese, Indians, Americans, and others over the years, and Panamanian cuisine reflects this unique cultural mix.
Panama has a rich and diversified natural environment, and the same can be said of its food. Panamanian cuisine reflects the country’s history: indigenous and Spanish influences (the conquistadors came in 1501), topped with Afro-Caribbean influences.
Tropical foods such as plantains, pineapples, yuca, corn, and shellfish are heavily favored due to the island’s location. The most prominent comparison for Panamanian cuisine is arguably Creole, which is one of the world’s most well-known cuisines.
Chefs in Panama use a variety of spices, flavors, colors, and plants. As a result, their savory dishes are rich and complex, with a variety of contrasting flavors and textures.
Their sweets are luscious, tropical, and occasionally sour or even acidic. However, one thing is certain. Panamanian cuisine, whether sweet or savory, is delectable and vastly underappreciated.
Panamanians have long appreciated the country’s plethora of delectable, must-try snacks and beverages, and now tourists are beginning to notice.
Traditional Panamanian Food and Authentic Dishes
Traditional Panamanian food is worth exploring. Panamanian cuisine which is ruled by corn, coconuts and diverse fruits due to its tropical climate. While all Latin American countries share culture and language to a certain extent, our traditional gastronomy is different.
Carimañolas, sancocho, and cabanga are some of Panama’s traditional foods. Traditional Panamanian food involves a mix of the Hispanic, African, Indigenous, and Afro Antillean cultures that coexist within the country. Thanks to this, Panamanians use many ingredients in their cuisine.
Panamanian food is as diverse as Panamanians themselves. Whether sweet, savory, or spicy, they’re all mouthwatering. A large part of Panamanian cuisine revolves around staple foods such as rice, corn, yuca, and plantains. An explosive fusion of Native American, Spanish, and African flavors, Panamanian foods bring a huge amount of Central American color, heat, and spice to the table.
Often pairing hearty staples, such as wheat and cassava, with exotic produce, salty-fresh seafood, and plenty of heat, sugar, and spice, there is so much to get excited about when it comes to Panamanian cooking.
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, many of the Panamanian 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.
FAQs About Panamanian Dishes and Foods
What is a Typical Panamanian Dinner?
The people of Panama can be seen eating the following Panamanian dishes for lunch or dinner:
Arroz with pollo (chicken and rice) – rice in Panama is usually served plain white or yellow.
The chicken is frequently braised or slow cooked and served with veggies in this region (and also, a little less commonly, with beef or pork as the meat component).
What is the Most Typical Food in Panama?
Rice, beans, red meat, chicken, pork, and fish are all common ingredients in Panamanian cuisine.
Because many vegetables do not grow well in the tropics, tourists are unlikely to come across a wide range of vegetables unless they dine in a fine restaurant.
The most common veggies in meals are yuca and plantains.
Are the Panamanian Dishes Spicy?
With such a diverse population, it’s only natural that Panamanians consume a wide range of cuisines, including North American and Spanish.
Traditional food, on the other hand, is most reminiscent of Creole cuisine: fiery and spicy at times, but always hearty, with rice at every meal.
15 Top Panamanian Cuisine Recipes to Try
1. Carimañola (Meat Stuffed Yuca) – Panamanian Cuisine
In Panamanian Cuisine Carimañolas are often served as a breakfast or snack in Panama and Colombia, easy and delicious!
2. Easy Ropa Vieja Stew – Panamanian Food
Use your slow cooker for this meaty Panamian classic, which offers bold flavors without a lot of hands-on time.
3. Panama Fruitcake – Panamanian Desserts
Nutty and fruity with the rum-soaked fruits of Panama.
4. Ceviche de Corvina (White Sea Bass) – Panamanian Recipes
This is your typical Panamanian Ceviche.
5. Yucca Fries w Spicy Mayo – Traditional Panamanian Cuisine
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?
6. Ana’s Panamanian Hot Sauce – Panamanian Dishes
This Panamanian Cuisine recipe was taught to me by a new friend, Anayansi Mong from Panama.
7. Panamanian Beef Stew – Panamanian Cuisine
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.
8. Ceviche With Finger Lime – Panamanian Food
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 Panama does mean “abundance of fish”, after all, so it’s a given that it plays a big part in the country’s cuisine.
9. Panamanian Seafood Stew – Panamanian Recipes
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.
10. Panama Canal Dessert – Panamanian Desserts
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!
11. Arroz Con Pollo – Traditional Panamanian Cuisine
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.
12. Panamanian Sancocho – Panamanian Dishes
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.
13. Panamanian Style Ropa Vieja – Panamanian Cuisine
Ropa Vieja translates to “old clothes” in English. It is a dish that consists of shredded or pulled stewed beef with vegetables.
14. Slow Cooked Pork Stew – Panamanian Food
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.
15. Sopa Borracha – Panamanian Desserts
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.
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