Welcome to the Celtnet Cape Verde Recipes Page
Recipe List — Cape Verde Recipes

Welcome to my listing page for Cape Verdean recipes. This is an attempt to collect as many recipes from Cape Verde in West Africa as possible. As well as being grouped into the main regions of Africa, each country also has its own entry page.

stefan and zogo small One Million People Campaign
If you can spare $1 then help support this site and change someone's life forever? Learn how and why on the One Million People campaign page. Or donate $10 and get my guide to spices or my The Recipes of Africa eBook ebook as a gift for your donation!
Recipe List — Cape Verde Recipes

If you are interested in African cooking and African Recipes, then why not join this site's discussion forum for African Recipes and African Cooking


African Regions Covered by Celtnet Recipes:

  Central African Recipes   East African Recipes   North African Recipes
  Southern African Recipes   West African Recipes   

This list of West African recipes is brought to you by the One Million People Campaign please take a few minutes to make a donation to help a Leonian refugees rebuild their livrs by gaining an education for their children (all donations are made securely via PayPal):

Solution Graphics

The image above shows the entire continent of Africa with West Africa picked out in red. West Africa is formed from sixteen states: 1: Benin; 2: Burkina Faso; 3: Côte d'Ivoire; 4: The Gambia; 5: Ghana; 6: Guinea; 7: Guinea-Bissau; 8: Liberia; 9: Mali; 10: Mauritania; 11: Niger; 12: Nigeria; 13: Senegal; 14: Sierra Leone; 15: Togo. Also included are the islands of Cape Verde, off the Senegalese coast (not shown on the map).

Cape Verde

Cape Verde, officially: República de Cabo Verde; Republic of Cape Verde is an archipelago republic in the Macaronesia ecoregion of the North Atlantic Ocean, off the western coast of Africa. The previously uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by the Portuguese in the fifteenth century. The country is named after Cap Vert (meaning Green Cape) in Senegal, the westernmost point of continental Africa. The capital and largest city is Praia and Cape Verde gained independence from Portugal on July 5th 1975. Cape Verde was uninhabited when the Portuguese arrived in 1460 and made the islands part of the Portuguese empire. Due to its location off the coast of Africa, Cape Verde became an important watering station, then sugar cane plantation site, and later a major hub of the trans-atlantic slave trade, that would later form the contemporary African Diaspora.

Cape Verde is formed from the islands: Santo Antão, São Vicente, São Nicolau, Sal, Boa Vista, Maio Santiago (on which the capital is sited), Fogo and Bravia. Most inhabitants of Cape Verde are a genetic blend of Sub-Saharian Africans and Europeans, the Africans having been slaves and hailing mostly from Senegal, Gambia and Guinea-Bissau. Cape Verdeans' European ancestors include Portuguese settlers and exiles, Portuguese Jews who were victims of the Inquisition, and Spanish and Italian seamen who were granted land by the Portuguese Empire. Many foreigners from other parts of the world settled Cape Verde as their permanent country. Most of them were Dutch, French, British, Arabs and Jews (from Lebanon and Morocco), Chinese (especially from Macau), Americans, and Brazilians (including people of Portuguese and African descent) settlers. All of these have been absorbed into the general Cape Verdean population. Cape Verde's official language is Portuguese. It is the language of instruction and official acts. However, the Cape Verdean Creole is used colloquially and is the mother tongue of virtually all Cape Verdeans. Cape Verdean Creole or Kriolu is a dialect continuum of a Portuguese-based creole, which varies from island to island. The majority of the population adheres to Christianity, mostly Catholicism which constitutes some 90% of the population (in many areas Catholicism and the indigenous religion are syncretised). The remaining includes a sizeable Protestant community as well as a small number of Bahai and Buddhist and even smaller Muslim groups.

The basis of Cape Verdian cuisine is Portugese though the island was used as a testing ground to grow foods from the New World such as chillies, corn, pumpkins and cassava as well as Asian foods such as ananas, Sugar, mangos, and papayas.The cuisine therefor reflect the use of these foodstuffs. Semolina bread is a staple and West African-based stews are also common.

    Cachupa Rica
     Origin: Cape Verde		    Canja
     (Cape Verdean Canja)
     Origin: Cape Verde		    Pudim de Queijo
     (Cheese Pudding)
     Origin: Cape Verde
    Cachupa Rica II
     Origin: Cape Verde		    Canja de Gahlinha
     (Cape Verdean Chicken Stew)
     Origin: Cape Verde		    Supida de Xerem
     (Ground Corn with Vegetables and Meat)
     Origin: Cape Verde
    Cachupinha
     Origin: Cape Verde		    Carne Gizado
     (Stewed Meat and Vegetables)
     Origin: Cape Verde		    Xerem de Festa
     (A Feast Dish)
     Origin: Cape Verde
    Caldo de Peixe
     (Fish Soup)
     Origin: Cape Verde		    Jagacinda
     (Cape Verde Beans and Rice)
     Origin: Cape Verde
    Caldo de Peixe II
     (Cape Verdean Fish Stew II)
     Origin: Cape Verde		    Polvo a Modo ze de Lino
     (Octopus Stew)
     Origin: Cape Verde


If you're looking for a particular recipe, or a recipe using a particular ingredient or set of ingredients, why not try my recipe search facility. You can even use a combination of period and ingredient such as 'Elizabethan Lamb' or 'medieval eggs'.



The African Cookery PDF file — It takes time and money to keep The Celtnet Recipe Site on the world wide web. You can help via the PayPal donation system:

you remain anonymous as all eMail details are destroyed once your gift has been verified and a 'thank you' email has been sent. I need your trust and do not keep or sell eMail addresses. Once your donation has been made you will receive a copy of my The Guide to Spices and their Uses PDF file which contains a description of 57 spices along with recipes showing you how to use them. In addition the book contains recipes and techniques to create restaurant-style curries at home (recipes that are not on this website). Any donation you make goes towards the Help Stefan charity campaign. For more information see the Frequently Asked Questions. Also, if you purchase a book through any of the Amazon links below then a portion of the price will go to the maintenance of this site. Thank you for your help in keeping 'Celtnet Recipes' running.



Not found what you're looking for on this site? Why not try a search on google:

Google