The Eats In Panama
What to eat in Panama can be a daunting task, especially if it’s the first time you visited the country. We plan ahead for the trip, think about what to wear, and chart iteneraries. But not expecting what to eat there can be funny. I mean, eating in a foreign land should be something you should also look into. So, this brings me to writing up about what one can expect to eat in Panama. This way, you know what to expect, what you’re up against and how much you can budget.
Panamanian food isn’t bad at all and not really different from what Americans already know. Panamanians favor chicken, pork, and beef. And they add that with lots of starch-based edibles. Sadly enough, vegetarians might have a problem looking for locally grown green vegetables because they don’t grow well in the tropics. In fact, the closest you can get to a good veggie dish are fried plantains. Even in Panama City, a balanced meal for veggie-lovers is tough to meet.
If you love fish, then Panama would be a great treat because it’s excellent here. The most common on menus is also the yummiest- the corvina. Even those who aren’t too crazy about seafood would go gaga over the taste of this fish! Restaurants have a dozen different ways of preparing corvina but a great many would choose it grilled — corvina ala plancha — over other cooking methods. Fancier restaurants have an elevated version, but using fish called guabina.This is also highly recommended.
Other and similarly plentiful seafood are served in Panama like squid (calamares), octopus (pulpo), prawns (langostinos), lobster (lanosta), shrimp (camarones), and of course, crab (cangrejo). The fresh octopus is especially tasty. You might wanna rethink about touching a lobster though since Panama’s lobsters are terribly overfished.
A dish I’d heartily suggest you get yourself is a serving of ceviche. This is raw fish marinated in lime or lemon juice with some oil and spices, which chemically ‘cooks’ the fish. It’s not only an appetizer but an addicting entree as well. Sample different versions using different seafoods and different levels of spiciness or piquancy. Team ceviche up with a cool cerveza,and life wouldn’t feel so down.
Panamanian diet wouldn’t be complete without thie staple root vegetable called yuca or manioc. It’s prepared in a number of ways but the most common method is through deep-frying. You’ll know that yuca is prepared well when it’s crispy and golden brown on the outside, but chewy on the inside. Another favorite yuca treat is making it into a roll called carimanolas. It’s made by boiling yuca first before stuffing it with meat then deep-frying. Plantains (platanos), which are like bananas, are a common street food. You’d also love to have a fill of patacones, which are green plantains cut crosswise into discs, fried, pressed and then fried again.
Eating plantains can be a bit tricky; you should know exactly when to eat it. The best way is to let it cool off for a short while. Don’t wait too long or it’d taste like concrete. They’re really tasty when eaten at the right time. Ripe plantains are commonly sliced lengthwise and then fried, sprinkled with cinnamon and baked or broiled with butter. Fried plantains are called tajadas while the baked or broiled version is known as platanos maduros or platanos en tentacion.
Other typical and familiar treats include empanadas, a kind of turnover cooked by stuffing flour or corn pasty with spiced ground meat before frying; tamales, which are made from boiled ground corn stuffed with chicken meat or pork and some spices, then wrapped in banana leaves and boiled; and tortillas, which locally are thick, fried corn cakes oft-served during breakfasts, especially in the countryside.
Truth is, Panamanian palate might strike you as bland due to a minimal inclusion of spices in their foods. But when cooked well, even the simplest country fare can be delectable. Try the ropa vieja consisting of spiced, shredded beef served over rice is also tasty. So is one of their most common dish of chicken and rice called arroz con pollo. Try cancholo, a thick and hearty soup simmering with chicken, yuca and whatever vegetables are around.
Menus outside Panama city aren’t served any differently. You’d find most of the main dishes are involved with beef (locally referred to as carne), chicken (pollo) and pork (puerco). A good way to keep from getting bored with your options is to try going to international restaurants when in the city, and stick to more traditional food fare in the countryside. When all else fails, there’s always a McDonald’s to snuff out your hunger.
