Gastronomy in Cabo Verde

Cachupa is much more than just a dish. With roots deeply intertwined with the archipelago's culture, cachupa is also a way of expressing morabeza, bringing the islands together around the table in community celebrations and family gatherings.

The recipe varies from island to island, with secrets passed down through generations. However, the base is always the same: maize, which is transformed into a variety of flavours.

Cachupa comes in four main versions: cachupa rica, cachupa de atum, cachupa pobre, and cachupa guisada.

Cachupa rica: the feast of the islands

Cachupa rica is a hearty stew filled with various meats, such as salted pork, beef, chicken, tuna, blood sausage, pork tripe, pig's feet, and pig's ear, slowly cooked with a generous selection of vegetables, including maize, beans, cassava, carrots, cabbage, kale, and pumpkin, resulting in a richly flavoured dish.

This is the taste of special occasions and morabeza, embodying the unique generosity of the Cabo Verdean people.cabo verdean

Cachupa guisada: the strength to start the day

On the other hand, cachupa guisada is eaten for breakfast, with a fried egg and sausage on top, making it a super nutritious dish that prepares you to embrace the day.

Surrounded by rich waters, Cabo Verde offers an abundance of fish and seafood, which are skilfully incorporated into the local cuisine.

Grilled tuna belly, crab and barnacle spaghetti, stewed or grilled conch, and lapa stew are just a few examples of how the flavours of the ocean are celebrated.

Also much appreciated are fish like swordfish, grouper, horse mackerel, mackerel, snapper, salmon, barracuda, and bica. Some of the most sought-after seafood includes octopus and lobster.

These dishes, always accompanied by fresh local ingredients such as sweet potato, carrots, cassava, green beans, and zucchini, pay homage to the archipelago's Atlantic location.

Its versatility is demonstrated in several traditional Cabo Verdean dishes. Papa com Frigenote, a delicacy from Boa Vista and Santo Antão Islands made with maize porridge, pork, and served with a sauce made from pork offal, is unique and highlights Cabo Verdean creativity in creating rich flavours from simple ingredients.

Djagacida, or jagacida, is a typical dish from Fogo Island that, besides maize, includes pork belly, feijão congo (pigeon pea), rolão (a coarse type of maize), maize flour, salted meat, kale, and favona (a green bean similar to broad beans with a distinctive flavour). When maize is only partially ground, it forms the base of rolon, a type of cream that accompanies various Cabo Verdean dishes.

Meanwhile, xerém, a porridge made from maize flour that accompanies meat and seafood dishes like shrimp, links Cabo Verde and Brazil through Portugal, which spread this dish during colonisation.

Cuscuz with milk is another creative way of using maize, ranging from side dishes to main courses and even desserts.

In the archipelago, you'll find the purple banana, which has a sweeter flavour and stronger aroma, and can be eaten raw, boiled, fried, or roasted, and the gramichel banana, a smaller variety produced on Santiago Island.

Papaya is also abundant, with trees often producing an impressive amount of fruit. Melons, watermelons, and mangoes, each with their own unique flavours and aromas, showcase the islands' diversity.

These fruits also delight those who enjoy natural juices, including those made from calabaceira, also known as baobab.

Grogue, a sugarcane brandy, is Cabo Verdean most emblematic alcoholic drink and serves as the base for ponche, which comes in variations with honey, coffee, coconut, and more.

Strela beer, brewed locally, is the popular choice for lighter meals, while the wines from Fogo, the island of the imposing volcano, win over even the most discerning palates, earning recognition from expert oenologists.

Also from Fogo is Manecão, a well-kept secret that offers a unique experience. With its sweet flavour and thicker texture, this nectar is further proof of the quality of Fogo's harvests.

Be sure to also try Cabo Verdean coffee, produced on the islands of Santo Antão, Santiago, and Fogo: it's simply unmissable!