Regional highlights
Cachupa rica
The national dish of Cape Verde — a thick, slow-cooked stew of hominy corn (hominy-style dried corn kernels), beans (kidney, butter beans or black-eyed peas), sweet potato, cassava, yam, cabbage and a combination of meats: salt-cured pork (linguiça sausage, chouriço, bacon), chicken and sometimes fish, simmered together for 3–4 hours. 'Rica' (rich) refers to the meat-generous Sunday version eaten fresh; the weekday 'pobre' (poor) version is made with fewer or no meats. The leftovers are fried the next morning as 'cachupa refogada' (sautéed with onion and egg), arguably even better than the fresh version. Every family and every island has a slightly different recipe.
Pastel com diabo dentro
A crescent-shaped corn-flour pastry stuffed with a filling of fresh or canned tuna, caramelised onion, chili and spices — its name ('pastry with the devil inside') refers to the chili heat hidden inside the mild corn casing. A street-food staple, particularly on Sal island near the Espargos market and in Mindelo (São Vicente), sold hot from vendors' trays from morning until evening. The dough is made from white corn flour mixed with oil and a little butter; the filling is always tuna-based. Eaten as a quick snack or paired with cold Strela beer at a bar.
Búzio em molho
Sea snails (búzios) simmered in a spiced broth of tomato, onion, garlic, chili and a dash of grogue, until the snails are tender and the broth is thick and aromatic. A traditional coastal dish found throughout the Sotavento islands, particularly Santiago and Fogo, where the sea snail harvest is part of the fishing village routine. The snails are extracted from the shell with a pin or small fork and eaten with bread to mop up the broth. At once simple and deeply flavoured from the snail's oceanic juices dissolving into the sauce.
Bife de atum
Grilled or pan-seared tuna steak — thick, fresh yellowfin or skipjack tuna caught in the waters around Santiago, Sal and Boa Vista, marinated in garlic, lemon juice, bay leaf and olive oil, then cooked briefly over high heat until just pink in the centre. Served with boiled or fried cachupa (corn hash), rice and a salad of tomatoes and onion. Tuna is the defining fish of Cape Verde's fishing economy; the local tuna at mid-range restaurants has an exceptional freshness. Grilled tuna is one of the most reliably good meals across all the islands.
Lagosta grelhada
Grilled lobster — the showpiece seafood dish of the flat, sun-baked desert islands of Sal and Boa Vista, where local fishermen catch spiny lobster (Palinurus mauritanicus) in the cold Canary Current upwelling. The lobster is split, brushed with garlic butter, chili and lemon, then grilled over charcoal. The cold-water Canary Current gives the lobster a sweeter, firmer flavour than tropical Atlantic equivalents. Served whole with rice, salad and fried plantain. One of the genuine gastronomic highlights of Cape Verde and significantly cheaper than European lobster.
Cachupa refogada
Leftover cachupa stew fried the next morning in a pan with onion, garlic and oil until slightly crisped and caramelised, served with a fried egg on top and sometimes sliced linguiça sausage. The transformation of the slow-cooked stew into a pan-fried hash gives the corn and beans a caramelised exterior; it is a different and arguably more satisfying dish than the fresh cachupa. Eaten as a substantial breakfast at local cafés and family homes throughout the islands, particularly on Monday mornings after Sunday's cachupa rica.
Caldo de peixe
Fish broth soup — a clear, aromatic stock made from whole reef fish or scraps, cooked with onion, tomato, bay leaf, flat-leaf parsley and sweet potato until the broth is rich and the fish tender. A daily staple at fishing village restaurants and simple cafés throughout the islands; thicker versions include cassava or yam. Often eaten as the first course before grilled fish or cachupa. Simple, nourishing and expressive of Cape Verde's coastal food culture. The best versions are made fresh daily at restaurants in Mindelo and São Filipe from the morning's catch.
Pudim de coco
A smooth, firm coconut milk custard pudding — made from coconut milk, eggs, sugar and a little vanilla, poured into a caramel-lined mould and baked in a bain-marie until set. Unmoulded to reveal a glossy caramel glaze. Found at cafés and restaurants throughout the islands, particularly on Santiago and São Vicente, where the dessert culture is most developed. Richer and more densely coconut-flavoured than French flan or Iberian pudim flan. A common Sunday dessert at family tables following cachupa.
Xerém
A thick Cape Verdean corn porridge — coarsely ground white corn simmered slowly in water or pork broth with garlic, onion, bay leaf and linguiça sausage until it becomes a dense, creamy polenta-like mass. Similar to cachupa in its corn-centric tradition but thicker and faster to cook; eaten particularly in São Vicente and Santo Antão as a breakfast or light meal. The street-food version is sold plain from large pots; the restaurant version is enriched with sausage and pork fat and served alongside braised greens.