Those who visit Panama for the first time, arrive wanting to taste the delights of its cuisine with flavors from the sea, prepared with strong Caribbean influence. Unforgivable is not trying the seafood that is offered in the menus of popular Afro-Panamanian food stalls, as well as in renowned seafood restaurants with gourmet dishes.
Fusion and Seasoning
Panamanians’ taste for seafood comes from the times when Panama das starting as a nation. Our isthmian soil has always been a passage to other parts of the world, a reason why many foreigners and migrants traveled and stayed with their culinary traditions.
African-Americans from Caribbean islands such as Barbados, Guadeloupe and Jamaica who arrived to work on the construction of the Transistmico Railroad and the Canal, brought new recipes with exotic flavors to the Panamanian stoves. Their way of seasoning fish and shellfish with spices and condiments from India such as curry, ginger, coconut and hot pepper, redefined coastal dishes. This population managed to awaken a special taste for the consumption of seafood such as spider crab, octopus, lobster and prawns in the locals. When they decided to settle in the country and work in the banana companies in Colon and Bocas del Toro Provinces, they opened alternate businesses with homemade Afro-Caribbean Food Stalls.
Another fusion in recent years has been with the arrival of Peruvian “chefs” who have mixed their traditional seafood dishes with Panamanian recipes, and that are revolutionizing the palate of all local and foreign diners. From ceviche to fried fish they have taken a delicious turn at the tables of many Peruvian and Panamanian restaurants throughout the country. Likewise, the Spaniards who brought their dishes such as seafood paella and Spanish garlic shrimp, which today are enjoyed by thousands of Panamanians.
Delicacies of the Sea
In both Colon and Bocas del Toro, tourism is closely linked to local and international cuisine. Among the specialties that most prepare in the Caribbean style are Guacho de Mariscos (Panamanian seafood stew), the One Pot or Paella Afroantillana, the octopus with coconut milk, charcoal or prepared in ceviche, one of the most recommended entries in restaurants.
Both in the Azuero peninsula and Chiriqui Province, diners are more inclined to ask for recipes with clams and mussels with a more Creole seasoning.
Tourism Linked to the Sea, the Kitchen and its People
A large part of Afro-descendants installed in Panama City in areas such as El Chorrillo and Rio Bajo, have wanted to preserve and bring their culture to city dwellers and foreign tourists. A good reason for them to join forces and open restaurants in one sector, as is the case of the Vereda Antillana (The Antilles Sidewalk) between 13 and 14 streets in Rio Abajo, where dishes with fish and seafood are very popular, especially Thursdays and Fridays.
Today, the expansion of the Coastal Belt, the creation of the Pacific Viewpoint and the proximity to Old Town, has led to the opening of cevicherías and food stalls in the seafood market, where dishes are made with freshly caught products.
More than 30 thousand visitors a month pass through Balboa Avenue and the Old Town, a great opportunitty to visit places like the Seafood Market and El Chorrillo Flavors located on Coastal Strip 3. You can say that the popularity of Seafood dishes have a lot to do with the evolution of Panamanian gastronomic tourism.
