Panama is a bridge between two continents and its population is very diverse due to the country’s history and colonial influence, creating a mix of African, Spanish and Native American cuisine. Due to its geography and climate you will find here a large variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs. 

The cuisine in Panama is heavily based on meat, fish and seafood. As vegetarians this unfortunately prevented us from tasting traditional dishes, but the traditional menu in a local restaurant would include some of the following: Ropa Vieja, a shredded beef meal with tomato, garlic, onion, spices and typically served with white rice or patacones. 

Patacones are a famous side dish in Latin American countries, these are hard green plantains that have been fried, smashed and then fried once more (not good for your cholesterol). Arroz con pollo, the most classical dish, is a simple mix of shredded chicken with rice. Empanadas are a deep fried pastry snack, stuffed with ground meat, potatoes or cheese, and can be found on nearly every corner. You will leave Panama with a slightly bigger waistline. 

One very local product that we managed to enjoy was a whole variety of hot sauces, local shops, restaurants and hotel owners were all making their own variations of this product. How we soon fell in love and used it on every meal. We even decided to make sure we always carried a bottle in our backpack. We know our priorities!

For drinks, Seco Herrerano is the national liquor of Panama, 80% proof spirit derived from sugarcane, what could possibly go wrong. Throw this into a cocktail and it can be rather enjoyable. Local beers of Atlas, Balboa and Panama happily washed down an evening meal, and if you are a craft beer lover, take a trip to Bocas Brewery to try honey orange pilsner, hemp seed black DIPA, or exotic IPA’s.