Panama ...the Canal..and beyond

After spending a great time in San Blas  it was time to lift anchor and head to Panama and beyond...and that means transiting the Canal. I went through the Panama Canal 15 years ago on our family yacht and I now had the privilege to enter through it again with my crew and our guests onboard  a much bigger vessel.


We had our regular crew,  canal helpers, and guests onboard.... more than a full hand. It was an exciting day as it was a first experience for most.
 I prepared  a variety of hors d'oeuvres and canapés for the guests whilst transiting the Canal.  It was a whole day affair transiting the Canal ....by the time we got got to the other side it was midnight . 

You might be wondering what the Panamanian cuisine  consist of?
A few things I tried while being here are below, but definitely more to try and make:) 


Their diet consist of root vegetables, starchy fruits, livestock (cows and pigs), chicken, beans and rice. For breakfast they eat 
Tortillas de maíz con queso fresco
(corn tortilla with locally-made white cheese on top) . 

I make a point of trying different foods wherever I go and tried this as one needs to adapt to what the locals eat and produce available. An abundance of plantains are available here , so I have been making sure I get that every time as my crew absolutely  love it . You can serve it with the main meal or as a snack . Our crew are snack lovers so they always enjoy that. 

Ceviche de corvina (sea bass ceviche, made with garlic, lime, onion and cilantro) is a must try while in Panama . I love ceviche make it a lot for the crew as well as the guests as it is  a light meal and can be served as an entree. 

I made a Sancocho (sahn-coach-o) (chicken soup with ñame, yucca and cilantro) in Trinidad and they eat it here too.
 It is eaten in the whole Panama (Caribbean area).