My Daily Bread in Panama

I suppose you might be wondering what the food is like down here in Panama. I mostly eat the local food while enjoying my retirement in Panama. Don’t miss much the food from back home because it didn’t seem so healthy when you think about it. When you retire you have to think more about your health and you have the time.

I eat out a lot with friends at restaurants in Panama City. It’s not that expensive. You can dine for about $20 for a full dinner. You will find that people like to go out a lot, celebrate, party, sing, drink, and eat together. It’s quite cheap to eat out in Panama, if you want it to be. I eat a lot of fresh fish, tropical fruits and okay, yes, beer. Add to that, the coffee is fantastic here. It’s grown on the slopes of Volcan Baru, Boquete, hand picked. I suppose you would call it organic coffee but it is delicious. No more Nescafe, on my Panama retirement. It’s so good in the morning as I take my coffee, read the newspaper and then head on over to my computer to check up on things, read emails etc.

Okay, so let’s talk about the Panama cuisine. As I mentioned, there’s a lot of fresh seafood ( a favourite is the exquisite Panama Seviche which is white fish and/or scallops). The fish is marinated with fresh lemon juice overnight, and then you add chopped green chilies, a dash of chili or Tabasco sauce, sliced onions, tomatoes chopped and cup of olive oil garnished with a little chopped pimiento and fresh coriander. It’s so damn good and tasty. Served cold. Cooking generally uses herbs and spices for taste. There’s also heavy Spanish influence to the cooking you will find.

Some of the food I’ve found that’s really popular here in Panama are tortillas which consist of ground maize and then fried. Tamales are a local specialty, the corn is boiled, crushed with spices and then either pork or chicken is added, wrapped in a banana leaf and then boiled. Other things I like to eat are patacones, green fried plaintain. Empanadas are, well, pastry stuffed with cheese, meat or chicken and I try not to eat too many of them because I’m sure they’re responsible for expanding waistlines. Then there’s Tajadas which are plantain sliced length ways and baked with cinnamon. And, I cannot forget Carimañola, made from ground, then boiled yucca, which has minced meat and boiled eggs inside and then fried, Are you hungry yet?

Other food we eat in Panama, which very popular recipes are things like Escabeche of corvine, Ceviche de pollo, Ceviche de corvina al curry, Ceviche de garbanzos, Arroz con pollo, Carimañolas and for dessert, there is my favourite Panamanian dessert Flan de caramelo, which is like a crème caramel custard. Also for dessert, I favour the Pie de limon which you might have already figured out is Lemon Pie.

I’ve tried a little cooking myself and have become somewhat of a skilled Panamanian chef. It’s a hobby you could try taking up if you decide to retire to Panama. Thought I’d write about the food in Panama because it’s a part of my retirement. A big part of daily life, in fact, for me and for you if you decide to retire in Panama. I guess later, I could write about some of the restaurants in Panama where you can eat some of this delicious food. Gotta go, dinner is served!