Panama has a rich tradition in the culinary arts. Due to its location, Panama is home to a vast array of fresh and tasty fruits, herbs and vegetables. Combine this with influences from the Native Indians, Europeans and other Latin American countries and you have some great food worth trying!

If you like gourmet food you´ll find a good variety from Chinese and Thai to Mexican and nouvelle gourmet. Elsewhere food is of good quality, but more variety is more limited. Panamanians eat a staple diet of rice, beans and meat with a variety of local vegetables and fruits such as yucca, squash, papaya, banana and watermelon.

Some of the most typical Panamanian dishes are:

Hojaldras: Also known as Panamanian Doughnuts. They are pieces of dough that is deep fried and then covered with sugar on top. A sweet snack to start off your day.

Tortillas: The tortillas in Panama are thicker and deep fried. Typically items are then placed on top of the tortilla to make a meal. It is common to uses eggs, cheese, beans, or anything else tasty to make a good morning meal.

Sancocho: It is a type of chicken soup. Depending on who is cooking it other ingrediants in the soup can vary.

Tamales: Panamanian tamales are covered in banana leaf and boiled. The leaf and the boiling create a different flavor that is pretty good. If you like a Mexican tamale, you will like the variation of a tamale that you can find in Panama.