World Flavors Cookbook

Panama Recipes

Panamanian cuisine is a vibrant melting pot of Afro-Caribbean, Spanish, and Indigenous flavors, heavily influenced by its position as a global crossroads. It is famous for its "Sancocho" (national hen soup), diverse rice dishes, and incredible street food like "Patacones." Seafood is abundant, reflecting the country's name, which means "abundance of fish."

Recipes from Panama

• Patacones con Todo

  Double-fried green plantains topped with a variety of savory ingredients.

• Arroz con Pollo

  A classic Panamanian chicken and rice dish, rich with vegetables and annatto.

• Sancocho de Gallina

  Panama's national soup, a rich and hearty hen stew flavored with culantro.

• Empanadas Panameñas

  Fried stuffed pastries with a savory meat or chicken filling.

• Ropa Vieja

  Savory shredded beef slow-cooked in a rich tomato and vegetable sauce.

• Carimañolas

  Fried yuca fritters stuffed with seasoned ground meat or cheese.

• Tortillas de Maíz

  Thick, hand-formed corn cakes, often deep-fried for breakfast.

• Hojaldre

  A deep-fried wheat dough bread, puffy and slightly sweet.

• Arroz con Guandú y Coco

  Rice cooked with pigeon peas and coconut milk, a Caribbean coast specialty.

• Ceviche Panameño

  Fresh white fish cured in lime juice with onions and habanero pepper.

• Pescado Frito con Patacones

  Whole deep-fried fish served with double-fried plantains.

• Ensalada de Feria (Pink Salad)

  A vibrant pink potato salad colored by beets.

• Mondongo a la Culona

  Tripe stew with chorizo, pig feet, and vegetables.

• Saos

  Pickled pig's feet in a spicy lime and vinegar marinade.

• Tasajo

  Cured, smoked, and fried beef served as a breakfast staple.

• Guacho de Mariscos

  A thick, risotto-like rice soup with mixed seafood and vegetables.

• Chicheme

  A creamy corn-based drink flavored with cinnamon and nutmeg.

• Pesada de Nance

  A thick, warm custard made from nance fruit, served with white cheese.

• Bollos

  Boiled corn dough rolls wrapped in corn husks.

• Salchicha Guisada

  Panamanian sausage stewed in a savory tomato and vegetable sauce.

• Bacalao con Papas

  Salt cod stewed with potatoes, onions, and peppers.

• Cocadas

  Sweet coconut macaroons, chewy and golden.

• Raspao

  Shaved ice topped with fruit syrups, condensed milk, and malted milk powder.

• Tamal en Olla

  A "casserole" version of the traditional tamale, baked in a pot without wrapping.

• Yuca al Mojito

  Boiled yuca topped with a garlic and onion citrus oil.

• Patitas de Puerco con Porotos

  Pork feet slow-cooked with red beans and vegetables.

• Pan Bon

  A dark, spiced fruit bread traditional to the province of Colón.

• Chicharrón

  Crispy deep-fried pork belly or skin.

• Duros

  Frozen fruit popsicles served in small plastic bags.

• Concolón

  The crunchy, toasted rice from the bottom of the pot.

• Sancocho de Gallina

  Panama's national dish — whole hen (gallina) simmered for hours with culantro, yuca, ñame, corn, and oregano until the broth turns golden and rich.

• Ceviche de Corvina

  Panamanian corvina ceviche with lime, red onion, habanero, and celery — served in a cup from street stalls throughout Panama City.

• Arroz con Pollo Panameño

  Panamanian chicken and rice cooked in a sofrito with achiote, olives, and capers — the festive one-pot meal served at every celebration.

• Tamales Panameños

  Panamanian Christmas tamales — corn masa filled with chicken, olives, raisins, and prunes in a red sauce, wrapped in banana leaves.

• Hojaldras

  Panamanian fried dough — puffy, golden, and slightly crispy, eaten for breakfast with cheese and coffee. Panama's version of a fritter.

• Guacho de Mariscos

  Panamanian seafood rice stew — a soupy rice loaded with shrimp, octopus, and clams in a rich tomato-coconut broth.

• Carimañolas

  Fried yuca rolls stuffed with seasoned ground beef — the most popular Panamanian breakfast fritter alongside hojaldras.

• Arroz con Guandú y Coco

  Pigeon peas and rice cooked in coconut milk — the Afro-Panamanian side dish that accompanies every Caribbean coast meal.

• Tres Leches Panameño

  Panamanian three milks cake — a moist sponge soaked in evaporated, condensed, and whole milk, topped with fluffy meringue.

• Sopa Borracha

  Panamanian 'drunken soup' dessert — sponge cake soaked in a warm rum-and-raisin spiced syrup with cinnamon and prunes.

• Plátanos en Tentación

  Ripe plantains slow-baked in a butter-sugar-cinnamon syrup until deeply caramelized and glossy — the Panamanian dessert side dish.

• Chicha de Saril

  Panamanian hibiscus (sorrel) drink — deep crimson, tart, and refreshing, sweetened with sugar and ginger. The Christmas drink of Panama.

• Sancocho de Gallina

  Panama's national soup — old hen slowly simmered with yuca, otoe, culantro, and oregano until the broth is deeply flavored and golden.

• Arroz con Pollo Panameño

  Panamanian chicken and rice baked together in a rich sofrito with achiote, olives, and capers — the festive one-pot meal.

• Ceviche Panameño

  Panamanian ceviche — corvina in lime with red onion, culantro, and aji chombo hot sauce, served with saltine crackers.

• Tamal de Olla

  Panamanian pot tamale — a massive corn masa and chicken preparation cooked in a single pot rather than individually wrapped.

• Guacho de Mariscos

  Panamanian seafood rice stew — rice cooked to a porridge-like consistency with shrimp, octopus, clams, and coconut milk.

• Patacones

  Twice-fried green plantain rounds — smashed flat and fried crispy, the universal Panamanian side dish.

• Arroz con Guandu y Coco

  Rice cooked in coconut milk with pigeon peas (guandu) — the Afro-Antillean contribution to Panamanian cuisine, especially from Colon.

• Saus (Pig Feet Pickled)

  Panamanian pickled pig feet — slow-cooked then marinated in lime, vinegar, onion, and hot pepper. A Carnival and holiday tradition.

• Hojaldras

  Panamanian fried dough — light, puffy, and slightly sweet, eaten for breakfast with cheese, eggs, or simply dusted with sugar.

• Suspiro (Meringue Cookies)

  Panamanian meringue cookies — light-as-air whipped egg whites baked until crisp and dry, tinted with food coloring at celebrations.

• Ropa Vieja Panameña

  Panamanian shredded beef in a rich tomato, pepper, and onion sauce — the classic Latin American braised flank steak.

• Torrejitas de Maiz (Corn Fritters)

  Crispy Panamanian fresh corn fritters — grated corn mixed with cheese and fried until golden. A simple, beloved snack.