Panamanians like hot sauce so much that it’s on the food pyramid posters used in their elementary schools: white rice, beans, repollo, meat, fish, hot sauce.
If you want to invite Panamanians over for a meal, be sure to call and remind them you already have hot sauce (this because they may try and bring over their own). On the other hand, if you go over to a Panamanian’s house to eat, don’t dare eat without at least asking for some hot sauce or ‘picante’ (even if you don’t plan on using it).
Hot sauce for Panamanians applies not only to dinner and lunch, but also breakfast during which they will put hot sauce on anything from bread to eggs to deep-fried meat. Some Panamanians will use the thin hot sauce that’s mild and comes in a skinny bottle. But the only truly respectable Panamanian hot sauce is D’ELidas; known flavors are ‘orange’, ‘red’, and ‘green’.
Hot sauce, whatever the brand, can be found at every Panama restaurant, generally already on the table before Panamanians arrive: they use any empty vessel as a hot sauce dispenser (Panamanians like ketchup bottles). If the restaurant is a fancy one, Panamanians prefer the waiter bring out a batch of “homemade” hot sauce which is usually D’ELidas in a ramekin.
whatchutalkinbout? panamanians are terrified of picante, except for maybe the colonenses and some bocatoreños. the rest like it plain, plain, plain. never could figure out why it’s sold everywhere…
“But the only truly respectable Panamanian hot sauce is D’ELidas; known flavors are ‘orange’, ‘red’, and ‘green’.”
You are SOOOOOOOOOOO frikin wrong again.
1- SISTA is the name of a local brand. A good brand as D’Elidas for your records. Here’s the link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sista-100-Natural-Pepper-Sauce-Picante-Chombo/113764261990571?v=wall
2- WTF! Not everyone loves hot sauce!!
So wrong INDEED!
If you said this when D’Elidas was born, a few years ago, BTW, it was true because it was a family recipe made in an artisan way. But now, it is not. The lady that created the hot sauce sold the company to a 2nd family, and the final product now is different. I know both! D’Elidas is good, but it is more like a condiment sauce and not a pure devilish “hot sauce”, it depends on what are you looking for.
What we would’nt accept is that you say IT IS the best in town, because it is not.
NOT at all. End of the story.
I prefer “Sista” all the way, they keep the original family recipe,…and I HOPE they continue to do that…
I also prefer the one sold at the “Mercado del Marisco”…with that gorgeous orangy color and flavor that honors the table of the most respectable chilliheads ever!
Common’ try to make your own hot sauce and you will forget about D’Elidas! right away! LOL!
Melissa
Chillihead Xtrema.
P.S.: …and yes, most of the time I travel w/ my own hot sauce just in CASE! =D
http://www.hotsauceblog.com/hotsaucearchives/tepin-peppers-redux/
D’Elidas is good but there are many other brands. Also, I don’t know what restaurants or homes you go to but not EVERY restaurant or home has a bottle of hot sauce on the dining table. In fact, our food is not hot at all. Perhaps you are mistaken with another country, dude. Who are you anyway???
In my mind both D’Elidas and Sistá are very good Panamanian hot sauces made of Aji Chombo (Habanero pepper) and worth buying, if you can find them that is.
If you’re in Panama, the one at “Mercado del Marisco” is a wonderful home made version and just great, I agree.
I have been to many Panamanian restaurants and it is very common to find some kind of local hot sauce on each table.
Again, Panamanian food in general is not spicy, and most Panamanians prefer non-spicy food. However, some locals do like to add some spicy salsa on their dish as well.
But, in general Panama is not really a country for spicy food.
OK, I have to agree…in one thing, generalizing is not accurate. It comes to my mind when a friend from Puerto Rico complained how people assumed that everyone in Puerto Rico dances salsa. She said she wasnt a good dancer and she hated when someone assumed she was. Anyhow…it is probably true that not anyone in Panamá doesnt like hot sauce or spicy foods! Although I do not understand how in earth that could happen, I accept that everyone has the RIGHT to decide how they eat their food, do not you agree???
Happy eating! =D
This was a great blog piece. I was a bit concerned about spicy food in Panama as I have acid reflux…the kind that has you choking for air in the middle of the night. I miss spicy food though so I will be sure to have some Sista’s or Delida’s on my eggs in the morning (safe time to eat spicy food for me). Thanks for the heads up.
Panamanians in general don’t like food that is already hot-spicy that much.
They would use the hot sause to spice the food just a tiny bit, not to make it hot as a Mexican, Peruvian or West Indian would eat it.
THIS IS TOTALLY WRONG! MY WIFE GREW UP IN PANAMA CITY PANAMA AND SHE SAYS THAT PANAMANIANS DONT LIKE SPICY HOT SAUCE!! IT IS DEFINITELY NOT ON THE FOOD PYRAMID POSTERS AT THEIR SCHOOLS EITHER. WHOEVER WROTE THIS JUST MADE IT UP
JULIAN IS RIGHT AS WELL!
Dear Jason,
Please keep in mind that this blog should not be taken 100% seriously. Much of it is written with irony and humour.
In any case, I would say that your statement is contradictory.
I don’t doubt that your wife’s experiences from when she grew up were accurate back then. At the same time: Did you ever consider that tastes of the public and styles in food have changed since your wife grew up?
Do you have any own recent experience, or do you only relate to your wife’s not so recent experiences?
I would say that today, you are wrong when you generalize that “panamanians don’t like spicy sauce.”
You are contradictory since you at the same time acknowledge Julian’s comment who I would say gives a more accurate description: Many Panamanians nowadays do indeed use hot sauces, even though they use it sparingly.