Breakfast Street Food · Fry Bread

Hojaldras

Photo: Edialberto / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Despite the name sounding like French puff pastry, Panama's hojaldras are simple fried dough — closer to fry bread than to a delicate pastry.

A simple yeasted dough is flattened into a disc and deep-fried until it puffs up golden and crisp. It's a breakfast staple sold hot from street carts, usually topped with cheese, saltfish, or a drizzle of honey.

Why it's made this way: Frying dough in a single pot of hot oil requires no oven, making it a practical, low-equipment way for street vendors to feed a morning crowd.