Panamanian
Two oceans, one isthmus, rice and seafood between.
Sancocho Panameño
Panama's national dish — a clear, deeply herbal chicken soup built on ñame (yam) and a heavy hand of culantro (broad-leaf coriander), simmered until the chicken falls apart and served with white rice on the side. The country's restorative comfort, eaten any time of day.
View page →Panamanian cooking is the crossroads food of the isthmus, where Spanish, Afro-Caribbean, and Indigenous traditions meet at the joining of two oceans. The national dish is sancocho — a clear, deeply herbal chicken-and-ñame soup with a heavy hand of culantro. Arroz con guandú y coco (rice with pigeon peas and coconut) is the Caribbean Christmas rice; carimañolas are fried yuca fritters stuffed with meat; the Panamanian tamal wraps achiote chicken masa in banana leaf. At the Mercado de Mariscos, corvina ceviche is cured in lime; hojaldras anchor breakfast; and sopa borracha, the rum-soaked sponge, closes the feast. Rice, chicken, pigeon peas, coconut, and culantro — that is the Panamanian pantry.
The Palate
Start Here
A clear, deeply herbal chicken soup built on ñame (yam) and a heavy hand of culantro, served with white rice.
Why start here · Panama's national dish and restorative comfort, eaten any time of day — the country's defining soup.
Corvina cured in lime with onion, culantro, and ají, served cold in a cup with crackers.
Why start here · The famous Mercado de Mariscos ceviche of Panama City — bright, sharp, and refreshing.
A torpedo-shaped fried yuca fritter stuffed with cumin-spiced ground beef.
Why start here · Panama's answer to the empanada — the crisp, savory handheld breakfast and fritanga snack.
The Pantry
On the Map
Where this cuisine is found
Regional Styles
Panama City & the Pacific
The capital and Pacific markets, home of the lime-cured ceviche, the yuca carimañola, and the fried hojaldra.
The Interior (Azuero)
The Azuero peninsula heartland of festivals and folklore, home of sancocho, the holiday tamal, and sopa borracha.
Caribbean Coast (Colón)
The Afro-Caribbean Colón coast, home of the coconut-and-pigeon-pea Christmas rice.
How They Cook
Techniques that define this cuisine
