middle-africa
Explore 43 foods connected to Sao Tome and Principe, from everyday staples to rare local specialties.
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The local shortlist
12 editor-selected foods for understanding the place through what people eat.
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The full directory
43 foods in this view. Filter by category, type, rarity, or search every recorded name.
Sao Tome and Principe
Papa de Banana
Santomean banana porridge; bananas cooked and mashed into a smooth porridge; sweet and comforting; a traditional breakfast food; sometimes made with coconut milk; a simple, nourishing dish; the banana porridge of Sao Tome mornings; eaten by children and adults alike.
Sao Tome and Principe
Maqueque
Traditional Santomean dish of green bananas cooked in a stew; bananas simmered with onions, tomatoes, and palm oil; sometimes with fish or meat; a hearty, starchy dish; served as a main or side; a UN Tourism-listed gastronomy must; the banana stew of Sao Tome.
Cape Verde
Cachupa
Slow-cooked stew of hominy corn, beans, cassava, sweet potato, and pumpkin with pork, sausage, or fish; the national dish of Cape Verde, simmered for hours until thick.
Angola
Feijão de óleo de palma
Butter beans stewed slowly in red palm oil with onion and garlic until the oil separates orange on top.
Sao Tome and Principe
Carne de Porco
Santomean boiled pork dish; pork cooked with tomato, spinach, onion, garlic, and spices; a hearty, flavorful stew; served with rice or funge; a traditional home-cooked meal; the pork that reflects Portuguese influence; slow-cooked until tender; a common dish in rural Sao Tome.
Portugal
Caldeirada de enguias
Fisherman's fish stew with layered fish, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and white wine.
Angola
Goat stewed with potato, onion, tomato, wine and bay into a heavy casserole eaten on Independence Day.
Angola
Dried fish and fresh fish cooked together with okra, sweet potato leaves, gimboa, tomato, onion and palm oil into a dense stew.
Sao Tome and Principe
Calulu de Peixe
The national dish of Sao Tome and Principe; slow-cooked stew of dried or fresh fish (grouper or smoked fish), prawns, okra, eggplant, tomatoes, onions, and leafy greens; simmered in red palm oil with grains of paradise and spices; takes about five hours to prepare traditionally; served with funge (cassava or plantain porridge) or rice; a TasteAtlas-listed must-try; the heart of Santomean cuisine.
Cape Verde
Feijoada
Bean stew made with feijão pedra (rock beans) or pinto beans, salt-pork, chouriço, cabbage, carrots, and squash in a light-colored tomato broth.
Sao Tome and Principe
Frango com Molho de Café
Unique Santomean dish of chicken cooked in coffee sauce; prepared with chicken, coffee, white wine, cream, garlic, coffee beans, and spices; a rich, complex sauce that combines the bitterness of coffee with cream and wine; served with bread for dipping; a dish that showcases Sao Tome's coffee heritage; a culinary revelation.
Angola
Grated coconut cooked in sugar syrup and thickened with egg yolks and cinnamon into a dense yellow pudding.
Sao Tome and Principe
Molho de Cacau
Unique Santomean sauce made from cocoa pulp; sweet-savory flavor; paired with fish or plantains; a sauce that showcases the islands' cocoa heritage; unlike anything else in world cuisine; the cocoa pulp sauce of Sao Tome; a creative use of the cacao fruit beyond chocolate.
Sao Tome and Principe
Açucarinhas
Traditional Santomean sweets prepared from coconut and sugar; formed into small, sweet treats; a popular dessert and snack; found at markets and bakeries; simple, sweet, and coconutty; the coconut candy of Sao Tome; a traditional treat for children and adults.
DR Congo
Fufu
The staple food of the Congo — a smooth, dense, slightly elastic dough made from cassava flour, corn flour, or sometimes plantains; rolled into golf-ball-sized balls and dipped into stews; the proper way to eat it is to pinch off a piece with the right hand, indent with the thumb, and scoop up sauce; present on all Congolese tables from north to south; the universal accompaniment.
DR Congo
Malafu
Palm wine made from the sap of a wild palm tree, fermented by natural yeasts; has an alcohol content of between five and seven percent; listed in Wikipedia's Congolese cuisine; a traditional beverage across Central Africa; the sap is collected from cut palm flower stems and ferments naturally; a refreshing, slightly sweet drink; the traditional alcohol of the Congo.
Portugal
Broa de Avintes
Rustic Portuguese cornbread and rye loaf with a dense crumb and crackling crust.
Brazil
A hearty stew of black beans simmered with various pork cuts, traditionally served with rice, collard greens, orange slices, and farofa.
Sao Tome and Principe
Barriga de Peixe
Traditional Santomean dish of grilled fish served with rice, breadfruit, or manioc (cassava); the broth contains tomatoes and onions; a simple but flavorful preparation that showcases the freshness of the catch; a common street food and everyday meal; the fish belly is the prized cut; grilled over charcoal.
Cape Verde
Caldo de Peixe
Fish stew made with mackerel or cavala, potato, pumpkin, carrots, and vegetables in a tomato broth, served with rice and corn puree.
Sao Tome and Principe
Bobofrito
Banana fried in coconut oil until crispy on the outside; palm sugar occasionally added for extra sweetness; a popular dessert or snack in Sao Tome and Principe; eaten after a meal or as a street treat; sweet, crispy, and tropical; the banana fritter of the Chocolate Islands.
Cape Verde
Cachupa Frita
Leftover cachupa re-fried in a skillet until crusty, topped with a fried egg and linguiça sausage; the standard Cape Verdean breakfast.
Angola
Cassava flour beaten into boiling water with a wooden stick until it forms a smooth, elastic grey paste, torn off by hand and used to carry stew.
Sao Tome and Principe
Funje
Smooth, creamy starch made from cassava or plantain flour; the staple accompaniment to calulu and other Santomean stews; similar to funge in Angola and other West African porridges; boiled and stirred until thick and smooth; serves as the carbohydrate base of most meals; the comfort food of Sao Tome.
Sao Tome and Principe
Pimenta de Guiné
Grains of paradise, also called melegueta pepper; a traditional spice used in Santomean calulu; native to West Africa; peppery, pungent, and aromatic; a key seasoning in the national dish; the spice that gives calulu its distinctive flavor; a historic trade commodity.
Cape Verde
Strong sugarcane rum distilled on Santo Antão and Santiago, made in small trapiche presses; the national spirit of Cape Verde.
Sao Tome and Principe
Blablá
Mashed or crushed breadfruit; a common side dish in Sao Tome and Principe; breadfruit boiled and pounded until smooth; starchy and filling; served alongside fish stews and grilled fish; a staple carbohydrate of the islands; the breadfruit mash that accompanies every Santomean meal.
Sao Tome and Principe
Folha de Misquito
Misquito leaf is a traditional Santomean ingredient; a leaf used as a seasoning in local cooking; a UN Tourism-listed gastronomy must; a unique flavoring agent; adds an aromatic, earthy note to dishes; the leaf that seasons Santomean cuisine; a local herb.
Angola
Muamba de galinha
Chicken stewed in red palm oil and palm-nut pulp with okra, garlic and gindungo until the sauce turns deep orange.
Brazil
A fragrant seafood stew slow-cooked in a clay pot with dendê oil, coconut milk, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, and cilantro.
Sao Tome and Principe
Óssame
Óssame is a red, bulbous fruit unique to Sao Tome and Principe; used in some versions of calulu; a local ingredient that adds color and flavor to the national dish; a fruit that is little known outside the islands; a unique Santomean ingredient; the red fruit of the islands.
Guinée Forestière (Nzérékoré / Forest), The Gambia
Emu
Sap tapped from a palm tree and fermenting from the moment it is collected — milky, sweet in the morning, sour and stronger by evening.
Sao Tome and Principe
Djogo
Traditional Santomean palm wine; called djogo locally; made from the sap of palm trees; sweet, tangy, and slightly alcoholic; a traditional drink of the islands; served at gatherings and celebrations; the palm wine of Sao Tome; a refreshing fermented beverage.
Sao Tome and Principe
Doce de Papaia
Sweet, jam-like dessert made from papaya; papaya cooked with sugar until it caramelizes and reaches a thick, sticky consistency; flavored with cinnamon; enjoyed on its own or as a spread on bread or crackers; a traditional Santomean dessert; the papaya jam of the islands.
Sao Tome and Principe
Peixe Grelhado
Whole grilled fish seasoned with lime and salt; ubiquitous along the coast of Sao Tome and Principe; snapper, barracuda, grouper (cherne), and sea bass (corvina) are common; grilled over charcoal; served with plantains, breadfruit, or rice; the most reliable meal on the islands; simple, fresh, and perfect.
Portugal
Arroz Doce
Creamy cinnamon-scented rice pudding, a beloved Portuguese dessert.