Because of the rich history the Cape Verde cuisine is a mix of mainly African and Portuguese influences. Anglers do you a big favor with the Cape Verdean cuisine. What comes out of the water, they eat in Cape Verde. Tuna is the national fish and several delicious varieties you can be fresh tasting. Also, for example lobster, squid, swordfish, grouper, sea bream, octopus and mackerel are caught daily and ready made. The Portuguese influence is especially evident in the desserts. Many fruit and tasty pastries. But also in hot dishes like goat meat, salted pork and gourmet sausages. Some good restaurants in Cape Verde we have already selected for you.
Specialities
The main Cape Verde specialties are as follows:
- Arroz de Marisco: rice with seafood (such as fish)
- Arroz de Peixe: rice with one or more types of fish
- Bife de atum tuna steak
- Bife serra: swordfish steak
- Cabrito: young goat
- Cachupa (national dish): stew of corn and beans. Depending on availability, it is refined with meat, sausage or fish
- Caldo de peixa: boiled fish with potatoes and vegetables
- Canja de galinha: rice with chicken soup
- Feijoada: hearty bean stew
- Frango assodo: grilled chicken
- Lagosta grelhada: lobster stewed in tomato and onion broth
- Lapas: mussels
- Legumes cozido: cooked vegetables
- Polvo: octopus
- Xerem: Corn served with various accompaniments
- Brinhola: small banana pancakes.
Cachupa
The most famous national dish is Cachupa. You can eat this stew of beans and corn in many restaurants, both in the afternoon and in the evening. The dish originated from practical considerations and uses ingredients that are currently available. With this they make a full rich dish. Due to the difference in range of ingredients, and the diversity of the various inter-islands, there are many ways to prepare Cachupa. The preparation is thus strongly dependent on the island. The two known variants of this stew are Cachupa Rica and Cachuba Pobre. In Cachupa Rica, use is made of meat. The stew is really a must to try and still have a nice and cheap. There is no other place than Cape Verde where you can eat the best Cachupa. If you still try to do this at home? Give the following recipe a try.
🍴Meal: breakfast / lunch / dinner
⏱Preparation time: 60 minutes (30 minutes prepation / 30 minutes waiting)
Cachupa Ingredients (4 people)
-500 Grams of dried yellow corn
-500 Grams of dried red corn
-250 Grams of dried kidney beans
-250 Grams of soft green peas
-250 Grams of dried brown peas
-500 Grams of cassava (or two green plantains)
-1 Canned tuna in oil (or 250g fresh tuna) or 500 grams of pork (salted crabs)
-2 Small chorizo sausages
-3 Tomatoes
-6 Cloves garlic-1 Large onion
-1 Pinch ground cloves-2 Bay leaves
-1 Tablespoon tomato paste
-3 Tablespoons olive oil
-What pepper and salt
Preparation
-Bring about 8 liters of water to boil and wash the dried ingredients.
-cutting the garlic, onion, cassava and tomatoes into pieces. Cut the cassava not too small. Peel the chorizo and cut it into slices.
-When using meat, salt crabs was good.
-Add the dried products and the cloves, bay leaf, garlic, tomato, out, pepper, salt, tomato paste and olive oil in the boiling water. When choosing meat, add this too far.
-Allow cooking over a low to medium heat until it is al dente. With an ordinary pot this takes up to 2 hours.
-Add then the chorizo, cassava or plantain, tuna and green peas. Let this simmer for another 20-30 minutes until a thick soup.
Riyu Xaiver says
i really like the lapas. They are my favorite food at home. Mama used to always cook it for dinner.
Barry Keegan says
Has anyone ever heard of something called fungi or fungi. It was something my mom made that was made with fish, tomatoes and yellow corn meal.
We would have it for breakfast with eggs. It would formed into a loaf then sliced and fried.
Dr.Linda Smith says
Yes I love fungi it is made out of yellow cornmeal okra we always ate it with fish goat meat or oxtail.
But at breakfast time we ate it with linguists.Not I am hungry for those days