Panamanian Food: What to Eat in Panama City

Sancocho, ceviche, patacones, hojaldre and tamal: what Panamanian food actually is and which dishes to order first.

Panamanian food is less famous than Peruvian or Mexican cooking, and that is precisely why it surprises people. It sits at a crossroads — Caribbean coast on one side, Pacific on the other, Spanish colonial history underneath, and a century of migration from the Canal on top. The result is a cuisine built on maize, plantain, root vegetables and seafood.

The dishes to know

Sancocho

The national dish, and the one Panamanians will ask if you have tried. A clear broth of hen, ñame root and a generous amount of culantro — a long-leaf herb sharper than cilantro. It is served with white rice on the side, and it is what families eat on Sunday and what the country reaches for after a long night.

Ceviche

Panamanian ceviche is usually corvina, cured in lime with red onion and sweet pepper. Compared with the Peruvian version it is gentler, less acidic, and often served in a cup as a snack rather than as a formal starter. Shrimp and octopus versions are common.

Patacones

Green plantain sliced, fried, flattened and fried again. Crisp outside, starchy inside, salted while hot. They accompany fish, meat, everything. Not to be confused with maduros, which are ripe plantain and sweet.

Hojaldre

Fried dough, closer to a savoury doughnut than to bread, and the backbone of Panamanian breakfast. Eaten with fried cheese, steak and onions, or eggs. Do not confuse it with the European puff pastry that shares the name.

Tamal

Maize dough with chicken or pork, wrapped in bijao leaf and steamed. Christmas and celebration food, but available year round. The leaf is not eaten.

Carimañola

A torpedo of yuca dough stuffed with seasoned beef and deep fried. Street and breakfast food, and one of the things people miss most when they leave Panama.

What to drink

Ron Abuelo is the national rum and the aged expressions stand up to sipping. Seco Herrerano is the country’s own spirit, distilled from sugar cane and drunk with milk in the classic seco con leche. For something soft, ask for chicheme, a sweet maize and milk drink, or a raspao — shaved ice with syrup and condensed milk, sold from carts in the plazas.

Where to try it

Panamanian cooking is easier to find in the old town than in the modern districts, where international kitchens dominate. In Casco Antiguo several restaurants work the traditional repertoire in a contemporary way — Aya la Vida, on Avenida A and Calle 12 Oeste, is one of them, with ceviches, chorizo tableño, tamal de olla and grilled octopus on the menu.

Frequently asked questions

Is Panamanian food spicy?
Rarely. Heat comes on the side, usually as ají chombo sauce made with habanero. The food itself is seasoned rather than hot.

What is culantro?
A long-leaf herb, stronger and more bitter than cilantro. It is the flavour that makes sancocho taste Panamanian.

Are there vegetarian options?
Yes, though the traditional repertoire is meat and fish heavy. Patacones, yuca, rice with coconut and maize dishes are naturally vegetarian.

Is Panamanian food the same as Colombian or Costa Rican?
They share ingredients but not dishes. Sancocho exists across Latin America and is different in every country; the Panamanian version is a clear hen broth with culantro and ñame.

What should I try first?
Ceviche to start, sancocho to understand the country, and a raspao afterwards for two dollars in the plaza.

Keep reading

• Where to Eat in Panama City: A Local Guide
• Casco Viejo, Panama: What to See and Where to Eat
• Fiestas patrias en Panama: que se come en noviembre

Aya la Vida is in Edificio La Cuadra, Avenida A and Calle 12 Oeste, Casco Antiguo, Panama City. Menu and opening hours on its official site; book a table here, see the menu, or plan a Copa stopover. You may also like Comida típica panameña: platos imperdibles.

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