Food and Drink in Panama

The people and culture of a country can't help but be reflected in their cuisine, and this is especially true of Panama — a country always ready to serve heaping platefuls of hearty meals to family and friends. Rice and beans are served alongside nearly everything, but are prepared in a variety of ways using different spices and herbs. They are healthy and hearty and a staple of the Panamanian diet.

What is traditional Panamanian food?

Traditional Panamanian food is built on rice, beans, plantains and meat or fresh fish, cooked simply and served generously. Breakfast often means eggs, meat, fried tortillas and coffee; lunch and dinner pair chicken, beef, pork or fish with rice and beans, yuca and patacones (twice-fried green plantain). Dishes to look for:

• Sancocho, the classic chicken stew with yuca and herbs
• Arroz con pollo, on almost every menu
• Ropa vieja, shredded beef served over rice
• Corvina ceviche, and whole fried fish with patacones on the coast
• Coconut rice and spicier, coconut-based cooking on the Caribbean side

Everyday cooking is served in fondas, small counter restaurants. At the other end of the scale, Panama City is a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, where chefs reinterpret these same ingredients; your Panama Insider can book the tables worth planning an evening around.

Seafood & Meat

Panama has excellent seafood, a result of its fantastic coastline and a variety of beachside destinations. One of the most common types, corvina, is also one of the best. Corvina is a type of sea bass that’s usually served a la plancha (grilled) or as ceviche (raw and marinated in lime juice). Ceviche of all types – including octopus and shrimp – is very common in Panama. Other seafood includes red snapper (pargo rojo), crab (cangrejo), shrimp (camarones), squid (calamares), octopus (pulpo), and lobster (langosta).

The meat in Panama typically comes in the form of bistec (steak), carne asado (roast meat), pollo (chicken), puerco (pork), or ropa vieja (literally,'old clothes'), which is spicy, shredded beef served over rice. And nearly all Panamanians have a fondness for sancocho, a hearty and spicy stew that’s usually made with chicken and vegetables.

Fruits, Vegetables, & Vegetarians

Vegetarians and vegans should have no problem with Panamanian cuisine. Although meat is featured prominently in most meals, rice and beans are staples and can be ordered nearly everywhere. Fruit is also plentiful and includes tropical varieties such as pineapples, papayas, mangoes, melons, and passion fruit. Vegetarians and vegans should note, however, that meatless Panamanian meals can still contain meat products — the soups may be made from a meat stock, and plantains or yuca may be fried in lard.

Dining Out

Panama City has all kinds of restaurants and many different types of food. Outside the city, however, country fare takes over and the menu is similar wherever you go. The exception to that rule is the nation's Caribbean region, where the food tends to be spicier and made with coconut milk. Average Panamanian restaurants are known as fondas, hole-in-the-wall places that serve plates of hot, readily made food. Cafeteria settings are also common, and allow you to pick and choose what you want. This kind of meal can cost as little as US$4.

The best way to enjoy local cuisine and Panama's spectacular beach destinations...

Beverages

An abundance of tropical fruit translates into an abundance of tropical juice, and it isn’t hard to find fresh, flavorful juice throughout Panama. It’s common for fresh fruit juice to be mixed with sugar and milk or water. Known as a chicha, this type of juice includes flavors such as piña (pineapple), fresa (strawberry), sandía (watermelon), mango (mango), melón (melon), and tamarindo (tamarind). Another national nonalcoholic drink is chicheme, a concoction of milk, sweet corn, vanilla and cinnamon. Coffee is found throughout the country and is quite good. In some places — including Panama City , Boquete , and Bocas del Toro — you can find espresso and cappuccinos.

Panama’s national spirit is seco, above all Seco Herrerano: a clear sugarcane spirit made by Varela Hermanos in Herrera province and most popular in rural areas, where it is often mixed with milk. The same family distillery makes Ron Abuelo, the aged Panamanian rum worth bringing home. Beer is still the nation's favorite drink: local lagers such as Atlas and Balboa are light and inexpensive, and Mexican and American brands are easy to find. Wine is mostly imported from Chile, Argentina and Spain, and the better restaurants and bars in Panama City now keep good lists. Whether you choose an ice-cold fruit drink or an ice-cold beer, you'll find both equally refreshing after a day at the beach surfing .