In brief
- Cachupa is the national stew of Cape Verde, made from dried corn and dried beans simmered for several hours.
- Origin: the islands of Cape Verde, off the coast of Senegal, in West Africa.
- Essential ingredients: cracked dried corn, dried beans, sweet potato, pork.
- A sharing dish, prepared in large quantities for family meals and celebrations.
Origins and cultural history of cachupa
Corn and beans arrived in Cape Verde with Portuguese colonization, starting in the fifteenth century: the archipelago, then uninhabited, became a trading post where crops from the Americas met people from West Africa. Cachupa was born from this encounter, built around a stew of corn and legumes cooked for a long time, which over generations became the national dish of the archipelago's ten islands.
Each island has its own version. Cachupa rica, richer in meats, is prepared for celebrations and special occasions; cachupa pobre, simpler, makes up everyday meals. The dish's leftovers, reheated in a pan the next day, become cachupa guisada or cachupa refogada, served for breakfast with a fried egg and a sausage or fried fish.
What are the essential ingredients of cachupa
Cachupa is built on two dried bases, cooked for a long time in water, then simmered with root vegetables and a meat.
- cracked dried corn (milho)
- dried beans, white or red
- sweet potato
- cassava or yam
- pork or smoked sausage
- cabbage
- onion and garlic
What to know about cachupa
Cachupa is the national stew of Cape Verde, made from dried cracked corn and dried beans simmered for several hours, with sweet potato, cassava or yam, cabbage, onion, garlic, and pork or smoked sausage. Each island has its own version: cachupa rica, rich in meats, is made for celebrations, and cachupa pobre, plainer, for everyday meals. Reheated in a pan the next day, it becomes cachupa guisada, served at breakfast with a fried egg.
Frequently asked questions about cachupa
What is the difference between cachupa rica and cachupa pobre?
Cachupa rica combines several meats (pork, sausage, sometimes chicken) and is prepared for celebrations. Cachupa pobre, simpler and less costly, is limited to corn, beans and vegetables, with no meat or very little.
Can dried corn be replaced with canned corn?
Some quick versions use canned corn, already cooked. The traditional recipe starts from dried corn, soaked then cooked in water for several hours: it is this long cooking that gives the kernel its melting texture. Like all dried corn and dried beans, they must be fully cooked before being eaten.
Where to find the ingredients for cachupa in France?
NKOSI offers the dried beans, sweet potato, tomato paste and spices for cachupa and ships them from the Paris area within 24 to 72 working hours, to mainland France (2 to 3 working days) and to ten European countries. The minimum order is 39 €: in France, delivery to a pickup point is then free, and home delivery is free from 69 €.
