Carimañolas

Carimañolas are fritters of cassava dough wrapped around seasoned minced beef, then deep-fried into a long oval. They are a snack and street food in Panama, also eaten in Colombia. Cassava is a starchy root, and the dough it makes is soft and dense, which gives the fritter a different bite from anything made with wheat pastry.

What it really is

Cassava is cooked and mashed into a smooth, pliable dough. A portion is flattened, filled with minced beef cooked with onion and seasoning, then folded and sealed around the filling and shaped into an elongated fritter. The pieces are deep-fried in hot oil until the outside turns golden and crisp while the dough stays soft inside. The filling carries most of the flavour, so the seasoning of the beef and the heat of the oil matter as much as the dough.

The dough is cassava, not wheat. Guests who expect a pastry shell are often surprised by the texture, which is denser and more chewy than bread or pastry.

How it's served

• Hot from the fryer, while the crust is still crisp.
• Whole and eaten by hand, as a snack or a light meal.
• Often bought from street vendors and small stalls, where it is a quick, portable food.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the filling as minced beef, and say whether it is cooked with onion as standard.
• State that the dough is made from cassava so guests know it is not pastry.
• Confirm what the dough contains. Some kitchens add wheat flour or egg, so list WHEAT or EGGS if they do, and only declare none if the recipe is cassava and seasoning alone.
• Say that the fritters are fried in shared oil if other fried items are cooked in the same fryer.
• Sell by the piece and state how many come in a portion.