There is some debate about what the main traditional Panamanian dish is, but most point to the conventional chicken sancocho as the most representative of our local flavor. However, it is decidedly not the oldest.
notoriously high costs of obtaining chicken during the times of the conquest in the Isthmus make it unlikely that this dish developed as a popular dish in the first centuries post-conquest (the price of a chicken at the end of the 1500s was equivalent to that of a head of cattle!).
The first written evidence of "sancocho" in the Isthmus dates back to 1853 (Berthold Seeman: Narrative of the Voyage of H.M.S. Herald, 1845) and it is suggested in the same text that sancocho was already popular in the Panamanian diet by then.
Traditional sancocho includes five essential ingredients: water, yam, chicken, salt, and cilantro. However, given that sancocho is consumed throughout the country, some regional variations are worth mentioning.
In Chiriquí, we call it "sancocho chiricano," which also includes yucca, taro, and sometimes corn and pumpkin.
Additionally, as described by Chef Charlie Collins in his book "T’ach," in Chitré, they prepare "de polla" sancocho, made with a young chicken instead of the traditional tough hen.
Many recipes include oregano; some use the entire recao verde in the base sofrito.
In short, despite the variations, the five essential ingredients mentioned above cannot be missing.
What do you consider to be the most typical Panamanian dish?
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