What to eat in Panama
A curated food checklist for Panama: from hearty chicken sancocho and market ceviche to Afro-Caribbean coconut stews and world-famous Geisha coffee.

[ ] Try chicken sancocho (sancocho de gallina)
    Panama's national soup is made with stewing hen, starchy ñame root, and fresh culantro. As the ñame breaks down during simmering, it creates a thick, opaque, deeply aromatic herbal broth without any tomato base.
[ ] Try corvina ceviche
    Panamanian ceviche differs from the Peruvian style: fresh Pacific sea bass (corvina) is diced into small cubes and marinated longer in lime juice with finely minced onion and celery. It comes served chilled in simple cups with saltine soda crackers.
[ ] Try carimañolas (yucca fritters)
    Torpedo-shaped fritters made from boiled mashed yucca, stuffed with seasoned minced beef or pork, and deep-fried until crisp and golden. The contrast between the crunchy shell and creamy yucca interior is sensational.
[ ] Try hojaldras (fried breakfast bread)
    Discs of yeast dough stretched thin by hand and deep-fried until puffy and blistering. At breakfast fondas, they are served savory alongside Creole-stewed hot dog slices («salchichas guisadas») and mild white cheese.
[ ] Try patacones (crispy plantain rounds)
    Thick slices of green plantain that are fried once, smashed flat with a wooden press, and fried a second time until golden. They are crunchy on the edges, savory, and function as the default Panamanian side dish.
[ ] Try Panamanian tamal
    Fresh ground corn dough enriched with seasoned broth, wrapped around chicken or pork on the bone, olives, capers, and raisins. It is wrapped in wild bijao leaves rather than corn husks and slow-boiled for hours.
[ ] Try rice with pigeon peas and coconut milk (arroz con guandú y coco)
    Long-grain rice cooked in fresh pressed coconut milk alongside tender pigeon peas (guandú). Originating from the Afro-Caribbean hubs of Colón and Bocas del Toro, it balances nutty, savory, and subtle sweet notes.
[ ] Try seafood guacho (guacho de mariscos)
    A thick, rustic rice stew cooked to a porridge-like consistency with squid, octopus, shrimp, and clams. It is simmered with culantro, sweet ají peppers, and chunks of root vegetables.
[ ] Try ropa vieja (shredded beef stew)
    Flank steak slow-simmered until tender, shredded into long ribbons, and braised in a rich sauce of tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, cumin, and garlic. The meat absorbs the sweet-and-savory pan sauce completely.
[ ] Try saus (pickled pig's trotters)
    An Afro-Caribbean street food staple made of boiled pig's trotters cut into bite-sized pieces and pickled cold in lime juice, vinegar, grated cucumber, onions, and spicy ají chombo peppers.
[ ] Try whole fried red snapper (pargo frito)
    A whole fresh red snapper scored, seasoned with garlic, salt, and lime juice, and fried crisp in hot oil. The skin turns crackling crisp while the white flesh stays moist and flaky.
[ ] Try sweet fresh corn fritters (torrejitas de maíz)
    Fluffy, golden fritters made from freshly ground young sweet corn, seasoned simply with a pinch of salt and raw sugar, then shallow-fried until the edges caramelize and crisp up.
[ ] Try bistec picado
    Tender strips of beef flashed in a pan with sweet peppers, onions, garlic, and a savory reduction of tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce. It is a cornerstone filling for local breakfast breads.
[ ] Try Chiriquí bienmesabe
    A traditional confection from Chiriquí slow-cooked in large copper cauldrons using fresh milk, rice flour, and raw cane sugar (raspadura). Hours of stirring yield a dense, velvety, caramel-like sweet paste.
[ ] Try sopa borracha (rum-soaked cake)
    Despite the name ('drunk soup'), this is a dessert: airy sponge cake thoroughly soaked in a hot syrup infused with dark Panamanian rum, brandy, cinnamon, cloves, and lime peel, topped with plump raisins.
[ ] Try raspao (shaved ice)
    Panamanian shaved ice hand-scraped from a giant ice block by street cart vendors («raspaeros»), drenched in tropical fruit syrups (passion fruit, strawberry), and topped with condensed milk and malted milk powder.
[ ] Try tres leches cake
    A light sponge cake pierced all over and saturated in a sweet mixture of evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream. It is finished with a crown of torched meringue.
[ ] Try sorrel hibiscus drink (chicha de saril)
    A ruby-red infusion brewed from calyces of roselle hibiscus (saril) simmered with fresh grated ginger, whole cloves, and cane sugar. It is tangy, floral, and pleasantly spicy from the ginger.
[ ] Try Geisha highland coffee
    One of the world's most celebrated specialty coffees, grown on the volcanic slopes of Volcán Barú in Boquete. It produces a delicate, tea-like cup bursting with aromas of jasmine, bergamot, lemongrass, and stone fruit.
[ ] Try pineapple and rice chicha (chicha de piña con arroz)
    A soothing homemade drink made by boiling rice together with ripe pineapple rinds, cinnamon sticks, and raw sugar, then blended smooth and strained. It drinks like a silky, chilled tropical nectar.
[ ] Try Seco Herrerano
    Panama’s national spirit: a clear, triple-distilled alcohol made from 100% sugarcane juice at roughly 35% ABV. Produced in the Herrera province, it has a neutral, remarkably crisp character.
[ ] Try aged Panamanian rum (Ron Abuelo)
    Panama's premier dark rum, distilled from estate-grown sugarcane honey and aged in charred American white oak bourbon casks. It carries rich notes of molasses, dried figs, sweet vanilla, and toasted oak.
[ ] Try local Balboa or Atlas beer
    The two heritage Panamanian lagers: Balboa offers slightly more malt body and crisp hop bitterness, while Atlas is an ultra-light, pale, thirst-quenching beer brewed specifically for equatorial heat.

Checklist from Unload: https://unloads.me/c/food-panama