Geography
Panama is a long narrow country, bordered on both sides by the ocean. Fresh fruits and vegetables are in abundance including plantain, coconut, yucca root and mangos. Fresh fish offerings include octopus, seabass, shrimp and red snapper.
Fresh Food Choices
Traditional ethnic food in Panama tends to be based around coconut, rice, beans and meat, especially pork. Fresh fish is plentiful, and many people enjoy fresh ceviche, marinated in lime juice along with onions and peppers.
Fried Cuisine
Fried food is commonplace in Panama, from greasy fried pork with an Afro-Caribbean taste to Hojaldras, Panamanian doughnuts, fried bread sprinkled with powdered sugar. Plantains, a variety of bananas that are eaten like potatoes, are also served as a fried meal, cut in rounds and then deep fried but they may also be served broiled or sauteed in oil.
Outdoor Markets
Vendors in outdoor markets sell kebabs, a traditional Middle Eastern food, with pork, chicken or beef. This meal is typically followed by freshly steamed yucca with a side of chimichuri type sauce.
Traditional Flavors
Cilantro is an herb in a variety of Panamanian foods. Sancocho, a popular Panamanian dish, is a chicken stew with a cilantro sauce and a root vegetable called name.
End of The Day
Panamanians end their day with a cold beer, their most popular alcoholic beverage. A traditional drink is seco, an alcohol distilled with sugar cane and served with milk and ice.
