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Travel Related
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EATING AND DRINKING |
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Known as comida tipica , traditional Panamanian cooking is broadly
similar to what you will find elsewhere in Central America. Basic,
filling meals based on rice and beans or lentils served with a little
chicken, meat or fish form the mainstay, though yuca (manioc) and
plantains are also important staples.
Where to eat
The cheapest places to eat are canteen-like self-service restaurants ,
serving a narrow but filling range of Panamanian meals for a few dollars,
which you will find almost everywhere. Larger towns usually have some
more upmarket...
The cheapest places to eat are canteen-like self-service restaurants ,
serving a narrow but filling range of Panamanian meals for a few dollars,
which you will find almost everywhere. Larger towns usually have some
more upmarket restaurants with waiter service where a main meat or fish
dish may cost US$5-15, and in Panamá City there is no shortage of
expensive and exotic restaurants. There is no tax to pay on meals and
tipping , though always welcome, is only expected in more expensive
places or where service has been particularly good. All towns have US-style
fast-food places, but street vendors are less common than elsewhere in
Central America.
In remote areas with no real restaurant, there is usually someone in the
village who will be prepared to cook you a meal, though it is always
best to let them know in advance.
What to eat
Panamá's national dish is sancocho , a hearty chicken soup with yuca ,
plantains and other root vegetables flavoured with coriander, closely
followed by the ubiquitous arroz con pollo (chicken with rice). Seafood
...
Panamá's national dish is sancocho , a hearty chicken soup with yuca ,
plantains and other root vegetables flavoured with coriander, closely
followed by the ubiquitous arroz con pollo (chicken with rice). Seafood
is plentiful, excellent and generally cheap, particularly corvina (sea
bass), pargo rojo (red snapper), lobster and prawns - the latter are one
of Panamá's biggest exports. Ceviche - a cool, spicy dish of raw fish or
seafood marinated in lime juice with onions and hot peppers - is a
popular appetizer, though a disappointment to anyone who has eaten the
more substantial South American version. Fresh tropical fruit is also
abundant, but rarely on the menu at restaurants other than in juice form
- you're better off buying it yourself in local markets.
Breakfast for most Panamanians is fritura , a combination of fried foods
such as sausages, eggs, patacones (fried green plantains), tortillas de
maiz (smaller and thicker than elsewhere in Central America) and
hojaldres (fried dough - much tastier than it sounds). Popular snacks
include carimańolas or enyucados (fried balls of manioc dough filled
with meat), empanadas, tamales (a mix of maize porridge, vegetables and
pork or chicken wrapped in a banana-leaf parcel and boiled) and
patacones .
The diverse cultural influences that have passed through Panamá have
also left their mark on its cuisine, especially in Panamá City, where
there are hosts of reasonably priced French, Greek, Italian, Chinese,
Japanese and American restaurants. Elsewhere, almost every town has at
least one Chinese restaurant - often the best option for vegetarians ,
as outside Panamá City there is little to choose from other than eggs,
rice and beans - and dishes such as chow mein and fried rice often find
their way onto the menus of even the most basic Panamanian restaurants.
US influence is evident in the widespread availability of hamburgers and
hot dogs. Perhaps the strongest outside influence on Panamanian food,
though, is the distinctive Caribbean cuisine of the West Indian
populations of Panamá City and the provinces of Colón and Bocas del
Toro, which usually involves fish, seafood and rice cooked in hot spices,
lime juice and coconut milk. Popular dishes include saos (pigs' trotters
marinated in lime and chiles), and fufu (a stew of fish, plantains and
manioc cooked in coconut milk). In Darién and other remote areas you may
well be offered wild game - conejo pintado (agouti), a large rodent with
sweet, greasy meat, is the most common bush meat.
Drinking
Coffee is generally good in Panamá, made espresso-style and served black.
Weaker coffee is known as café americano . Otherwise, everyone drinks
cold drinks , essential given the heat and humidity. The drinking water
...
Coffee is generally good in Panamá, made espresso-style and served black.
Weaker coffee is known as café americano . Otherwise, everyone drinks
cold drinks , essential given the heat and humidity. The drinking water
of Panamá City is so good that it is known as the "Champagne of the
Chagres" after the river from which it is drawn, and iced water, served
free in restaurants as a matter of course, along with the tap water in
most towns and cities, is perfectly safe. Known as sodas , bottled fizzy
drinks are available everywhere. Cheaper and more refreshing, though,
are chichas , delicious blends of ice, water and the juice of any one of
a dozen tropical fruits, served in restaurants or, in paper cones, by
street vendors everywhere (except, that is, in Kuna Yala, where chicha
is a ceremonial alcoholic drink made from fermented sugar-cane juice
flavoured with coffee or cacao). Batidos are thick fruit milkshakes,
often made with ice-cream. Also popular are pipas , green coconuts
filled with coconut milk, often served ice cold from massive roadside
fridges and drunk with a straw.
Beer is extremely popular in Panamá, and drunk as much for refreshment
as for intoxication. Locally brewed brands include Panamá, Löwenbrau,
Atlas, Soberana and Balboa. Imported beers such as Budweiser and
Guinness are only widely available in Panamá City. When it comes to
getting drunk, most Panamanians turn to locally produced rum - Seco
Herrerano (known as seco) and Carta Vieja are the most common brands -
though imported whiskies and other spirits are widely available. Outside
the more upmarket restaurants in Panamá City, wine is hard to come by.
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