I was born in São Vicente and grew up on Boa Vista.
When I think about my childhood, one of the first things I think about is the ocean.
I was incredibly blessed to grow up surrounded by beautiful, clean Atlantic water, beaches, sunshine and an island that felt like it was ours to explore.
We played in the sand. We swam. We wandered around the island discovering natural pools, rocky swimming holes and hidden places that today I would almost describe as cenote-style places.
Back then they weren't tourist attractions to us. They were simply places where we played.
One memory I've never forgotten is seeing an enormous green sea turtle come onto the beach. It must have weighed around 400 pounds. Imagine being a kid and seeing something that size come out of the ocean right in front of you.
That was part of growing up on Boa Vista.
The ocean wasn't somewhere we went on vacation. It was home.
Looking back today, I realize what an incredible blessing it was to grow up that way. It gave me a connection to the ocean, seafood, nature and island life that has followed me everywhere.
The ocean wasn't somewhere we went on vacation. It was home.
Boa Vista · Cape Verde
Food is inseparable from those memories.
I grew up eating cachupa, buchada, canja, moreia, pastéis, bolachas, cuscuz, fish, seafood, breads, sweets and many other foods that I know I'm going to remember as I continue this journey.
Some of these dishes I haven't eaten in years. Some I remember clearly. Others I'm going to have to research, ask family about and probably make a few times before I get them right.
I don't want to pretend that I remember every recipe perfectly. Sometimes the story may simply be: I haven't eaten this since I was a kid.
This is what I remember. Let's figure it out.
I think that's going to be part of the fun.
Cape Verde, or Cabo Verde, is a beautiful island country in the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Africa. It is made up of ten volcanic islands, nine of them inhabited, and each island has its own personality, landscape and traditions.
Cape Verdean culture grew from African and Portuguese influences and centuries of connections across the Atlantic, creating something completely our own. You can hear it in the music, see it in the culture and definitely taste it in the food.
On this blog I want to concentrate on the Cape Verde I love—the islands, ocean, food, music, traditions, people, memories and the incredible variety between the islands.
I want someone who has never heard of Cape Verde to leave here wanting to know more.
Different landscapes, personalities and traditions, connected by the Atlantic.
The sea, seafood, beaches and island life that shaped some of my earliest memories.
Recipes, ingredients, memories and traditions that tell stories about where we come from.
This is the story of where I come from, what I've learned, what I'm still learning and how food has connected all of those places along the way.