Day 107 of 365 Things to Do in Panama

Day 107 of 365 Things to Do in Panama. Attend a Mondongada and enjoy the main dish!

All over the world, “topping out” or finishing the roof on a new building is a cause for celebration – and Panama is no exception. Here, the folks have put their unique spin on things with a party called a mondongada. It’s a “thank you” to the workers that’s centered around a type of tripe stew called mondongo.

Panamanian Mondongo is different than other countries. The ingredients are different and it is more like a stew than a soup served with white rice or rice with green pigeon peas. There is also Mondongo “A La Culona” which literally means “Big Butt Woman’s Style”. For this one you need to use pig’s trotters and tails. By the way, mondongo is a soup made from diced tripe. What is tripe you ask - the stomach of a cow or pig. Maybe I should have told you that after you tried it!