🇵🇦 Panamanian Cuisine

Tasajo

Dried Salted Beef

Prep Time 30 min

Servings 4

Difficulty Medium

Calories 364 kcal

Sun-dried, salt-cured beef rehydrated and cooked in a rich tomato and onion sauce — a traditional Panamanian preserved meat dish from the Interior.

Ingredients

1 Soak tasajo in water overnight, changing water twice to remove excess salt. Drain.
2 Boil tasajo in fresh water for 30 min until tender. Shred or slice into strips.
3 Sauté onions, garlic, and bell pepper in oil until softened.
4 Add tomatoes and cumin. Cook until saucy, about 10 min.
5 Add shredded tasajo to the sauce. Cook 10 min to absorb flavors.
6 Serve over white rice with patacones.

Did You Know?

Before refrigeration, tasajo hung on clotheslines in the Panamanian Interior sun — visitors often mistook the drying beef strips for laundry.