A soft yeasted dough folded around spiced, shredded skipjack and fried golden.
What makes it panada
A soft yeast dough, fried.
Shredded skipjack filling, hot with chilli.
Crimped into a half-moon.
Where it comes from
Panada are often said to take their name from the Portuguese empanada, from the sixteenth century when Portuguese ships reached these waters. The dough, though, is soft and bready, and the filling is pure Minahasa: smoked or boiled skipjack fried with chilli, lemongrass, lime leaf and lemon basil.
They're eaten with coffee in the morning and sold at every snack stall in Manado.