Cape Verde
Pastry with the Devil Inside
Pastel com diabo dentro
Deep-fried pastries filled with a spiced meat and vegetable mixture that packs a surprising kick from hot peppers.
western-africa
Cape Verde
Explore 49 foods connected to Cape Verde, from everyday staples to rare local specialties.
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The local shortlist
Cape Verde Essentials
12 editor-selected foods for understanding the place through what people eat.
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The full directory
Traditional foods from Cape Verde.
49 foods in this view. Filter by category, type, rarity, or search every recorded name.
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Cape Verde
Ponche
Pontche
Sweetened grogue cut with condensed milk or sugarcane molasses into a creamy, potent punch; Cape Verde's signature cocktail.
Cape Verde
Roasted Peas
Ervilhas Assadas
Peas roasted with onion, garlic, and tomato, a dish popular on the island of Fogo.
Cape Verde
Rock Barnacles
Cracas
Barnacles served still clinging to the rock, eaten with lemon and a long thin implement to hook the meat from the shell.
Cape Verde
Seafood Blood Rice
Arroz de Cabidela de Marisco a Dadal
Rice cooked in seafood blood and broth with prawns, squid, and white fish, a dish of São Vicente island.
Cape Verde
Shrimp in Garlic Wine
Camarão em Vinha de Alhos
Shrimp marinated in garlic, wine vinegar, and herbs, then grilled or pan-fried, a Portuguese-influenced Cape Verdean dish.
Cape Verde
Steamed Lobster
Lagosta Suada
Lobster cooked in a red tomato-based sauce with onions, garlic, and herbs, served with rice or bread to soak up the sauce.
Cape Verde
Stewed Limpets
Lapas
Limpets stewed with garlic, onion, and peppers, served in their shells with the cooking broth.
Cape Verde
Strela
Cape Verde's most popular beer, a lager produced since 2006 that overtook Portuguese imports Super Bock and Sagres on the islands.
Cape Verde
São Nicolau Beef Stew
Modje de São Nicolau
A beef stew specific to the island of São Nicolau, cooked with local vegetables and herbs until the meat is fall-apart tender.
Cape Verde
Tuna Pastel
Pastel de Atum
Cape Verdean pastry filled with seasoned tuna, onion and herbs, fried or baked for a portable snack.
Cape Verde
Xerém
Rustic porridge of coarsely ground cornmeal simmered with onion, garlic, and olive oil, often enriched with salted pork or fish.
Cape Verde
Zé de Lino Octopus Stew
Polvo a modo Zé de Lino
A specific Cape Verdean octopus preparation named after its creator, cooked with local seasonings and vegetables.