Just who doesn’t love Angolan food? No-one, that’s who. Angolan food bears witness to its Portuguese colonisers, particularly with the prevalence of olive oil, spicy seafood and piripiri (hot sauce).
Staple ingredients are beans, rice and meat, as well as vegetables such as tomatoes and onions. Thanks to Angola’s long Atlantic coastline, seafood is popular too, with mouthwatering dishes such as Quiabos com camarão (prawns with okra, garlic, onion, and tomato), Mufete de kacusso (grilled fish, usually tilapia, in a rich sauce of onion, vinegar, and spices) and Mariscos cozidos com gindungo ( lobsters, prawns, and clams cooked in seawater and served with rice). An important dish is funge, which is a very frequent accompaniment to main dishes, as is Pirao – both are made from fuba, a type of flour. Funge and Pirao have a mashed potato-like consistency and are eaten to balance the spiciness and strong flavours of main dishes. Fruit is an important part of Angolan food too, with fruits such as passion fruit, muka (dried fruit from the baobab tree) mango, banana and pineapple consumed throughout the day. Vegetables are important, too, particularly okra, sweet potato, corn and beans.
Beverages-wise, Angolans are fond of making their own spirits; capatica is popular (made from bananas and mulava from palm tree juice), as is kapuka (vodka) and whiskey kota. Kissangua is a popular non-alcoholic drink in Angola, made from cornflour and said to have health benefits. The traditional homemade beer is Mogonzo, made from palm nuts – it’s so good that it’s commercially produced for export – Belgium is a fan.
Try these Angolan dishes
Fish Calalu
The ultimate Angolan comfort food – this tasty dish consists of dried fish, and vegetables such as onions, tomatoes, okra, sweet potatoes garlic and gimboa leaves. Calalu is typically and is cooked with palm oil. The typical accompaniment to fish calalu is funge. Try this recipe
Chicken Muamba (Muamba de Galinha)
This is Angola’s national dish. In any event, it’s an aromatic chicken stew cooked with palm oil and flavoured with chilli, okra, vegetables and garlic. Chicken muamba is usually served with funge. Try this recipe
Cabidela
Slightly more risqué than fish calalu is cabidela, which in essence is chicken or rabbit that is cooked in its own blood (or pig blood can be used as a substitute) and a splash of vinegar. Cabidela is typically served with rice or funge; the resulting stew has a brownish colour. Try this recipe
Caldeirada de cabrito
This is the dish that is traditionally served on Angolan Independence Day – a very popular goat meat stew, seasoned with crushed garlic and bay leaves. Caldeirada de carito is usually served with rice. Try this recipe
Arroz
Kizaka
A popular vegetarian dish, kizaka is made from boiled cassava leaves and peanuts, which are stewed together until a thick consistency forms. Try this recipe
Frango piripiri
A traditional food in Angola and Mozambique (both former Portuguese colonies), frango piripiri is grilled chicken in a marinade of piripiri hot sauce, garnished with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice. Try this recipe
Farofa
This traditional, versatile dish consists of rice and beans with toasted cassava flour on top. It is often served as an accompaniment to meat dishes. Farofa can be livened up with a variety of ingredients, such as boiled eggs and sausages. Try this recipe
Bolo de Ginguba
A popular dessert dish, bolo de Ginguba is a moreish peanut sponge cake. Try this recipe
Cocada amarela (featured)
This delicious Angolan coconut pudding is made with sugar, grated coconut, egg yolks and cinnamon. Try this recipe
To our Angolan brothers and sisters, which foods are your favourite? Add your voice. Comment below.