Cachupa (Katxupa)
Overview
Cachupa is a slow-cooked stew-soup of hominy corn and beans from the Cape Verde islands. Dried corn, softened by soaking, is boiled for hours with several kinds of beans, such as fava, kidney and butter beans, until thick and soupy. Onion, garlic, bay leaf, cabbage, cassava, sweet potato, squash and green bananas are added, along with pork, sausage, chicken or fish. The simple everyday version is called cachupa pobre, and the richer festive one with lots of meat is cachupa rica. Leftovers are fried the next morning with an egg and sausage and eaten for breakfast as cachupa guisada.
History
Cachupa is the national dish of Cape Verde, and every island has its own style. It grew out of the islands' long history as a stopping place in the Atlantic, mixing African cooking with corn brought from the Americas and Portuguese sausages. It is cooked in huge pots for festivals, saints' days and family gatherings, and Cape Verdean communities in Portugal, the Netherlands and the United States keep cooking it.
Main ingredients
Hominy corn, beans, cassava, sweet potato, pork sausage, cabbage. The soup is built on meat broth and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; usually gluten-free.
Explore: Bean soups · Pork soups · Cabbage soups · Corn soups · More soups from Cape Verde
Recipe
Method
- 12 h
Simmer the corn and beans in 3 l water for 1.5 to 2 hours, until tender.
- 2
Brown the pork in the oil with the onion, garlic and bay leaves and add to the pot.
- 330 min
Add the cassava and sweet potato and cook for 30 minutes.
- 420 min
Add the sausage and cabbage and simmer for 20 minutes, until thick and soupy.
- 5
Season and serve, and fry any leftovers the next day with an egg.
- ✓
Serve. About 3h 30m from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
