The Food of Cabo Verde
An island table where Portugal, Africa, and the bounty of the Atlantic meet. The star is undoubtedly the national dish, cachupa — a slow-simmered stew of corn and beans that tastes like home itself.
🍲Make the national dish: Cachupa
Cachupa is the soul of Cabo Verdean cooking — hominy (corn) and beans simmered with plenty of vegetables. There's a rich version with meats (cachupa rica) and a simpler vegetable-based one (cachupa pobre). Here's an approachable pobre recipe. The secret is long, slow cooking; islanders make it in a huge pot and re-fry the leftovers for breakfast the next day.
Cachupa Pobre (simple cachupa)
- Hominy (dried corn; or canned hominy)300g
- Dried beans (red/white, as you like)250g
- Onion (finely chopped)1
- Garlic (finely chopped)3 tbsp
- Tomatoes (roughly chopped)2
- Cassava (or potato)300g
- Pumpkin/squash (or sweet potato)300g
- Cabbage (or kale, chopped)200g
- Carrots (chunked)2
- Olive oil3 tbsp
- Bay leaves2
- Paprika1 tsp
- Salt & pepperto taste
- Water or vegetable stock~2 L
- The night before: soak the dried hominy and beans separately in plenty of water overnight (8+ hours). Skip if using canned.
- Sauté aromatics: heat olive oil in a large pot, cook onion and garlic until translucent, add bay leaves.
- Tomato base: add tomatoes and paprika, and cook until fragrant.
- First simmer: add drained hominy and beans, cover with water by an inch. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low, cover, and simmer about 1 hour.
- Add root veg: add cassava, pumpkin, and carrots cut into bite-size pieces; simmer another 30–40 min until the beans and corn are tender. Top up with hot water as needed.
- Greens & finish: add cabbage, season with salt and pepper, and simmer 15–20 min until thick and stew-like.
- Rest: turn off the heat and let it sit, covered, for 20–30 min so the flavors meld. Even better reheated the next day.
🐟More island flavors to try
Caldo de Peixe
A nourishing soup of fresh Atlantic fish and vegetables — the ocean's bounty in a bowl.
Jagacida (Jag)
A Portuguese-style rice-and-bean stew, great as a side for sausages or grilled octopus.
Pastel
Small fried pastries filled with tuna and more — a go-to street and bar snack.
Tuna dishes
Cabo Verde is tuna country — served as steaks or grilled, and even in some "rica" cachupa.
Grogue (Grog)
The island's sugarcane spirit. Mixed with honey and lime it becomes ponche, a popular digestif.
Corn pudding
Cornmeal or hominy slow-cooked with coconut milk, sugar, and cinnamon into a gently spiced, comforting pudding.