Thread: Panamanian Cuisine

Hi!

I would like to know more about Panamanian Cuisine. Please share your favorite panamanian dishes and if you know about great panamanian restaurants, please tell to!

Coco

Hi Coco! (I love your user name! )

My favorite dish is Sancocho, which is a chicken soup I can't get enough of!

There is also a great website I found that offers all kinds of Panama recipes.

http://www.cookbookwiki.com/Panama

I hope you like it!

Sincerely,

Sofia

Thanks for the link Sofia! The food in Panama is delicious, although I never tried to cook any (only in restaurants), but I will now with the recipes you provided. As for my current favorite food: I love patacones (fried plantains). My favorite dish changes at least every week!

Laura

Here is a pic of patacones that I found on google:




This pic is from toomanychefs.com

Laura

Hi! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas!!

I found a blog by a panamanian cooking diva! You can check it out at:

The Cooking Diva Blog: Original Tropical Creations by Chef Melissa De Leon and the website is Panama Gourmet | Original Tropical Creations by Chef Melissa DeLeon

Sincerely,

Sofia

Hi Sofia! Love the website, thanks for sharing!!

Why is it good to choose Panama as vacation destination? There are many reasons but for filipinos who love to eat (and other nationality for that matter), one siginificant reason could be the rich variety of tasty dishes, fruits and vegetables. My personal favorite is the Panamanian tortilla usually served as breakfast dish. Of course, how can anyone resist sea food and tamales?

Do they really have seafoods? I really love eating seafoods especially shrimps or prawn and crabs. Dishes made of fish are really good too but still depends on the dish and how it is flavored. I am very choosy when it comes to other country's foods because all I know is eating filipino foods. That picture was very appetizing, Laura. It's like having french fries I think because it's made of potatoes too, am I right?

Originally Posted by trixie

Do they really have seafoods? I really love eating seafoods especially shrimps or prawn and crabs. Dishes made of fish are really good too but still depends on the dish and how it is flavored.

Yes. In fact eating seafood in Panama is more popular than catching them. I think, seafood is the most important staple in this country. Most of the restaurants and hotels in the country offer a variety of seafood dishes.

Thank you, Oopsie. I hope I could find some dishes that tastes like Filipino dishes too. I already ated on some asian cuisines and I might find some restaurants that serves Panamian dishes too to experience it while I haven't visited the place. No one knows if when I'll be able to visit Panama.

Thank you guys for sharing all the links. It would be very exciting to try and cook these dishes at home. I hope I would be able to make it as tasty as the one made in restaurants.

I would also like to try making Panamanian cuisine at home. I will try a few recipes out.

I am fairly sure that if I had to avoid seafood, I could live on carimañolas. They are very similar to the steamed version of potsticker dumpling that one finds in Chinese-American restaurants, with a yucca-based dough instead of wheat. They are silly tasty and amazing for breakfast. Arepas, which I think are originally Ecuadorean (could be wrong!) are small, thick, pillowy pancakes made from masa (corn) meal and layered with queso blanco and served piping hot. Eat them immediately with lime and hot sauce!! Fantastico!

I do not think I have ever had carimañolas. They sound very good. I hope to try them out soon.

Originally Posted by trixie

That picture was very appetizing, Laura. It's like having french fries I think because it's made of potatoes too, am I right?

They are not from potatoes but from plantains. Plantains look like bananas but they are not as mushy and not sweet. Here is a pic:


And another pic of fried plantains (patacones):


And while I'm at it, and you guys mentioned it... here is a pic of Carimañolas:

I found all pics on flickr.

I found that in the interior of Panama that rice and cooked lentils is a very popular base and if you are near the ocean the seafood is absolutely fresh and awesome. Chicken is also very popular. What is great is that since there is so much fresh produce your are limited by your imagination.

I am looking at relocating to Panama and trying to find out as much info as possible ahead of time. Although I do look forward to sampling Panamanian cuisine, I do have some favorite "canuck food". I haven't found anything about the availability of steak in Panama. If it is available is it something I would recognize? I was told Puerto Vallarta had steak before I went, but it wasn't even close.

Thanks.

Originally Posted by ChecMark

...I haven't found anything about the availability of steak in Panama. If it is available is it something I would recognize? I was told Puerto Vallarta had steak before I went, but it wasn't even close.
Thanks.

Yes, you will find steak, all kinds of steak. Just a lot cheaper! They have supermarkets there, with meat sections very similar to the ones you find at home. For dining out, check out the Argentine restaurants--which are totally beef-centric and have massive cuts hot from the grill (asado) ready to cut at your table.

Cheers.

You are making me hungry already. I've read about a number of cattle ranches in the Boquete area. Stupid question, but is this where the steak comes from, and are there dairy cows there as well. I do love my milk!

Thanks!

thanks sofia, the link was quite helpful. I heard a lot about sea food there in Panama. Didn't get much time on my last visit but this time, hope to enjoy both Panama women and cuisine ....

yeah zhinghur, maybe you can share it with me to?
hehe

i like the egg,cheese stuffed tortillas...tastes yummy.

Someone mentioned filipino food and some of the food items here are the same as filipino. yuca is casava, and name is sweet yam. Home made food is always better but you can buy some ready made foods in groceries and food stands that are not too bad. Tamales are a favorite of mine but take a long time and a lot of work to make. A lot is made with corn here, including my favorite, pastelitas de maiz nuevo. Beef is a bit different here. Leaner, tougher but good. The best coming from Chiriqui from the black angus there. Beef cuts are not the same as U.S. so you will have to do some homework to be able to ask the butcher for the cut you want. The best milk also comes from Chiriqui. Pardon the long post but I do tend to go on and on about food....

Sometimes it is fun to go into the real panamanian restaurants. They are more like cantinas and the food is real cheap; for a good dish (chicken, rice and beans with their sauce) it will be about 2-3 dollars. But make sure you take cooked food and do not have their home made drinks (water and ice). You can get to talk to the locals at times and enjoy the real life.

If anybody is looking for a "decent" pizza in Panama City, my girlfriend introduced me to Napoli. I have been there twice now and I was extremely surprised. They have a real wood-fired pizza oven and it is owned by real Italians that make their own sauce.

Location and Contact info:
Napoli
263-8800
Calle 57 Urbanizacion Obarrio
No URL works??

Awesome Pizza

I have been in panama for vacations last year and i would like to know a panamanian recipe for paeya to post it on my blog.Thank u!
Jorge de Grecia
http://kyparissiaonline.blogspot.com/

Originally Posted by JorgeGR

I have been in panama for vacations last year and i would like to know a panamanian recipe for paeya to post it on my blog.Thank u!
Jorge de Grecia
http://kyparissiaonline.blogspot.com/

Use any typical Spanish recipe for paella--just use seafood available from Panamanian seas.

Although I haven't bene yet because I have been staying in the Latin corner of NY I have been geting to know quite a bit about Latin quisine and plantain has to be one of my favourite ones. Especially when I fry it and put on cracked red pepper on it. That is delicious.

Originally Posted by Lalaguayaba

Use any typical Spanish recipe for paella--just use seafood available from Panamanian seas.

Does anyone know what they use in place of Saffron in Panama? I lived in Spain for a time and fell in love with paella, but the few times I have had it in Panama it has had such a different taste.

The dish is definitely missing saffron, but there is an entirely different spice that is very distinct and I can't figure it out. I'm thinking it might be the same spice my grams uses to make her Panamanian rice dish, something with an 'A' that I cant recall the name of.

i have tasted many dishes...the fish is excellent tin panama region..Panama's “geisha” coffee is also good they are many more of them...