I decided to ask around and see what everyone’s favorite Panamanian foods are. As I suspected, the number one answer was overwhelmingly, Sancocho. This would also have to be my favorite food here, thus far.

1. Sancocho- or, as I like to call it, “chicken soup for the Panamanian soul,” is a soup made with chicken, corn and rice. It depends on where you order a bowl, but ingredients may vary (yucca or carrot is sometimes added) as well as the style of the dish, sometimes the chicken is still on the bone, sometimes the corn comes whole.

2. Arroz con guandu y coco- this is a typical Carribean Panamanian rice and bean dish with a small green bean called “guandu” cooked in coconut water. Normally fish is served with it.

3. Arroz con pollo- I once spent an entire summer on a strictly arroz con pollo diet. Let me just say, I like mine with peas. I like the rice cooked, not burned and crunchy from the bottom of the pan. I like a little hot sauce to spice things up. I like nice healthy white meat, none of that shady brown stuff. And that’s how arroz con pollo should be done.

4. Ropa Vieja- This tasty fare is a borderline stew. Again there are variations on how it is prepared, but it typically includes boiled, shredded meat, cooked with onions, peppers and garlic. Not surprisingly, it is eaten with rice.

5. Patacones-A beloved finger food or side dish. Fried plantains are the perfect treat for anyone desiring a mix between a french fry and baked potato. Smothered in refried beans or served with pico de gallo, eating pactacones just feels too right to be wrong.

6. Chicharrones- Fried pork fat, kinda like pork rinds.

7. Ceviche- This Peruvian delight is served here in Panama. Raw fish is soaked in lime juice mixed with onion, green peppers and cilantro. The acidity of the lime “cooks” the fish and the spices create a tangy ying-yang experience for taste-buds. Ceviche is typically eaten on crackers. Here, restaurants might serve it in a dish with a side of boiled yucca.

8. Carimañola- How could one not love a ball of fried meat inside a tasty flour shell?

9. Cocadas- A savory dessert is made from the rind of coconut and sugarcane. Think, macaroons.

10. Suspiros- eggs, yucca, corn meal, cinnamon and sugar go into these delicious Panamanian sugar cookies.

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Filed under: Culture on January 24th, 2008