Panamanian Desserts You Have to Try
Mamallena, cocada, sopa borracha and raspao: the traditional Panamanian desserts and what each one is made of.
Panamanian desserts are built on three things: raspadura â unrefined cane sugar sold in blocks â coconut, and maize. Almost the entire sweet repertoire comes out of those.
The classics
- Mamallena. Bread pudding with raisins, cinnamon and cane syrup. Dense, dark and moist â quite different from the airy Anglo-Saxon version. The dessert of everyone’s childhood.
- Sopa borracha. Literally «drunken soup»: sponge cake soaked in syrup with wine or rum, with raisins and prunes. Wedding and celebration food.
- Cocada. Grated coconut cooked with raspadura until it caramelises, sold in pieces wrapped in paper.
- Bien me sabe. A creamy coconut and milk pudding with cinnamon. The name means «it tastes good to me».
- Flan. The Panamanian version often carries coconut, and sometimes a caramel made with national beer.
- Raspao. Hand-shaved ice with fruit syrups, condensed milk and cane syrup, sold from wooden carts in the plazas for a couple of dollars. Street food, and unmissable.
Seasonal ones
Holy Week brings torrejas and rice pudding. November and Christmas bring sopa borracha and coconut sweets. And year-round, at country fairs, milk fudge sold by the tray and cut into squares.
The modern versions
This is where contemporary Panamanian kitchens are having the most fun: mamallena fried in panko and served with coconut ice cream, pineapple from La Chorrera flambéed with Ron Abuelo, mousses made with local passion fruit. Aya la Vida, in Casco Antiguo on Avenida A and Calle 12 Oeste, has that dessert menu.
Frequently asked questions
What is raspadura?
Unrefined cane sugar in block form. It gives a molasses flavour that white sugar cannot.
Does sopa borracha contain alcohol?
Yes â sweet wine or rum in the syrup. It is not a children’s dessert.
Which dessert is the most Panamanian?
Mamallena, for how deeply it sits in people’s memory.
Is raspao safe to eat from a street cart?
Yes, from carts with turnover and covered ice. It is a lifelong institution.
Are Panamanian desserts very sweet?
Yes. Raspadura and condensed milk dominate, so portions are small.
Keep reading
- Where to Eat in Panama City: A Local Guide
- Panamanian Food: What to Eat in Panama City
- Sancocho panameno: gallina, culantro y name
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 Postres panameños tradicionales.
Reserva tu mesa en Aya la Vida
Cocina panameña de autor en el Casco Antiguo de Ciudad de Panamá, Edificio La Cuadra, Avenida A y Calle 12 Oeste. Terraza al aire libre y música en vivo de jueves a sábado.
