The story
Festival del Pixbae in Veraguas
Festival del Pixbae in Veraguas celebrates the pixbae, or peach palm fruit, a starchy, orange fruit native to tropical America that is boiled and eaten as a traditional snack across Panama's interior, grown on tall palms cultivated across the region.
The pixbae comes from a tall, spiny palm, Bactris gasipaes, native to the tropical lowlands of the Americas, and the fruit itself is a small, starchy, brightly colored drupe that requires cooking rather than being eaten raw, most commonly boiled for a stretch of time until tender and then served with salt, mayonnaise, or a sour, cream-like topping depending on local custom.