Cachupa Rica

Cape Verdean slow-cooked stew of hominy corn, mixed dried beans, root vegetables, and fresh Atlantic tuna, golden with açafrão das índias

Origin: Santiago Island, Cape Verde

From the journey of Turmeric.

Cachupa is the national dish of Cape Verde and the single food most closely identified with Cape Verdean identity, at home on the islands and throughout the global diaspora. The archipelago's ten volcanic islands, uninhabited when Portuguese navigators arrived in the 1460s and settled from the outset as a waystation on the Atlantic slave trade routes, developed a Creole cooking tradition that draws directly on Portuguese, West African, and Indian Ocean culinary practice. The corn arrived from the Americas via Portugal; the dried beans from West Africa and the Iberian peninsula; the turmeric, known in Cape Verdean Portuguese as açafrão das índias (Indian saffron), from the Estado da India spice trade that connected Goa to Lisbon via the Atlantic islands; the tuna from the rich Atlantic fisheries that are the oldest resource of the island economy. There are two broad forms: cachupa pobre (poor cachupa), made with corn, beans, and vegetables alone; and cachupa rica (rich cachupa), which adds protein. This version uses fresh tuna, the most traditional island choice: the waters around Santiago, São Vicente, and Fogo are among the most productive tuna grounds in the Atlantic, and atum fresco (fresh tuna) is the flavour most inseparable from the memory of eating cachupa at a family table in the islands. The same stew eaten as leftovers the following morning, fried in olive oil until a crust forms on the base and finished with a fried egg, becomes cachupa guisada: a different dish in every way from the slow-cooked original, and in many households considered even better.

Ingredients

Corn and Beans

  • 300 g dried hominy corn (canjica or dried mote), soaked in cold water for at least 12 hours and drained
  • 150 g dried kidney beans, soaked overnight and drained
  • 150 g dried black-eyed peas (feijão congo), soaked overnight and drained

Base

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 large onions, finely diced
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste

Spices

  • 2 tsp ground turmeric (açafrão das índias)
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp fine salt, plus more to taste

Vegetables

  • 300 g cassava (yuca), peeled and cut into 4 cm chunks
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 350 g total), peeled and cut into 4 cm cubes
  • 2 medium carrots, cut into 2 cm rounds
  • 200 g cabbage (about quarter of a small head), coarsely shredded

Fish

  • 600 g fresh tuna steaks, cut into 4 cm chunks (or 400 g drained tinned tuna in olive oil)

To Serve

  • fresh coriander leaves and lime wedges, to serve

Method

  1. Drain the soaked hominy corn and beans. Place the corn alone in a large pot, cover generously with cold water, bring to the boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. After 20 minutes of simmering, add the kidney beans and black-eyed peas. Continue simmering for a further 30 to 40 minutes until the corn is tender but still has some resistance and the beans are cooked through. Drain, reserving 700 ml of the cooking water.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 12 to 15 minutes until deeply golden and soft.
  3. Add the garlic, tomato paste, turmeric, black pepper, bay leaves, and salt. Stir well and cook for 3 minutes until the paste is fragrant and the turmeric has bloomed in the oil, turning everything a deep golden yellow.
  4. Add the drained corn and beans to the pot. Pour in the reserved cooking water. Stir well to combine everything with the spiced base. Bring to a gentle simmer.
  5. Add the cassava and carrots. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes until the cassava begins to soften.
  6. Add the sweet potato and cabbage. Cover and continue simmering for 15 minutes until all the vegetables are completely tender. The broth should be thick and golden, starchy from the corn, with the turmeric and the slow-cooked vegetables having built a deeply savoury base. Taste and adjust salt.
  7. If using fresh tuna: season the tuna chunks lightly with salt and a small pinch of turmeric. Add them to the simmering stew and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, disturbing as little as possible, until the tuna is just cooked through but still moist. If using tinned tuna: stir it through gently off the heat at the very end.
  8. Remove the bay leaves. Serve in deep bowls with fresh coriander scattered generously over the top and lime wedges alongside.

Notes

Cachupa is markedly better the second day once the flavours have fully integrated. Leftovers become cachupa guisada: heat a generous film of olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat, add a portion of cold cachupa and press it down into the pan. Leave undisturbed for 4 to 5 minutes until a golden crust forms on the base, then turn and repeat. Finish with a fried egg on top. This is the traditional Cape Verdean breakfast and many islanders regard it as superior to the original stew. Dried hominy corn (also sold as canjica, dried mote, or dried hominy) is available in Portuguese, Brazilian, and Latin American grocery stores. If unavailable, tinned hominy (rinsed and drained) can be substituted; add it at step 6 only, not at the start. The overnight soak is not optional for the dried corn: 12 hours minimum, 24 hours is better.

The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

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Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
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