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Cape Verde
Cape Verde
Culture:
In all its aspects, the culture of Cape Verde is characterized by a mixture of European and African elements. This is not a sum of two cultures, living side by side, but a third product, totally new, resulting from an exchange that began five hundred years ago. Much similar to some parts of Brazil.
Cuisine:
Cape Verde is a beautiful island discovered by the Portuguese navigators on the 1st of May 1460. By the time the Portuguese navigators arrived in this country the only economic activity here was the breeding of goats. Few centuries later a new occupation brought many people on the Island. The production and export of salt towards Brazil boosted the entire economy of Cape Verde bringing in this country many immigrants. All these people that arrived on the island brought along many new things for Cape Verde cuisine. Cape Verde cuisine is rated worldwide as being among the best ones because of the exquisite ways of preparing and serving food. All over the country one can always find a restaurant or a household that can offer the unique experience of tasting a traditional Cape Verde meal. In this country every household prepares their own bread made from special flour called semolina.
Due to the fact that this Island has a tropical dry environment and because of its colonization by the Portuguese people in the 15th century this country cuisine shaped during the time its cooking treats. The Africans brought knowledge about the growing and cooking tropical crops in this country. The Portuguese people used this Island more or less like an experiment. They wanted to try growing foods from the Americas, such as hot peppers, corn, pumpkins and cassava. The Portuguese brought also some types of tropical crops from Asia like bananas, Sugar, mangos, and papayas. People from Cape Verde have a special affinity for dishes made with dried corn. One of the most famous dishes on this island is called Cachupa and is a stew made with beans and hominy and with meat or fish. A typical Cape Verde meal is generally starting with a dish called Bstilla, which is a crisp pastry, followed by a typical kebab or brochette seasoned with lab or Beef fat.
Cape Verde cuisine uses elements from various cooking traditions borrowed from their neighbors and developed from their own traditional dishes. While there are no specific or unique preparation methods for Cape Verde cooking, we should point out that attention to detail is important in the Cape Verde cuisine. Using the right amount of spices for example is essential – either for spicing up the taste or for coloring the dish. The diversity of vegetables and cereals found in Cape Verde is also noticed in the delicious dishes belonging to their cuisine. The visual attractiveness of the dish is also important, and a balance between colors and proportion differentiates. Each traditional dish has a special cooking method, which is more or less general in all of Cape Verde’s regions. Meat is one of the main elements of most Cape Verde dishes and cured and smoked hams are often parts of delicious dishes.
Ranging from cake pans, can openers, colanders, egg rings, poachers and holders, food dishers & portioners, food pans & food containers to other kitchen utensils, such as food scales, food scoops and fryer baskets & accessories, the Cape Verde cuisine needs a diverse cooking equipment set in order to produce the most sophisticated Cape Verde dishes. You should consider insulated food carriers if you are transporting the food and a full set of kitchen linens and uniforms if you wish to look like a pro. Here are a few other items that will come handy while cooking Cape Verde food: juicers, kitchen knives, kitchen slicers, kitchen thermometers, measuring cups & measuring spoons, miscellaneous utensils, mixing bowls and skimmers & strainers. Essential utensils like serving spoons; spatulas, forks, turners, scrapers and tongs should also be part of your cooking "arsenal".
Cape Verde is a small beautiful country situated in the Atlantic Ocean and it is formed by ten Islands. The official language spooked here is Portuguese. Some of the most important holidays and festivals in this country are the Independence Day held on July the 5th, National Day on 12th of September, National Heroes' Day (Jan 20), National Heroes' Day (Jan 20), Labor Day (May 1), All Saints' Day, and Christmas. During any celebration of this country the most consumed dishes are couscous and Cachupa, which is considered to be a national dish. Mixing meat and vegetables with slices of melon and pastries blended with honey and almond makes couscous. Most used ingredients for any dish served during any celebration and not only, are cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, ginger and paprika.
Music:
Cape Verde is known internationally for morna, a form of folk music usually sung in the Cape Verdean Creole, accompanied by clarinet, violin, guitar and cavaquinho. Funaná, Coladeira, Batuque and Cabo love are other musical forms.
Cape Verde is an island archipelago that was uninhabited until the Portuguese arrived in 1462. The sailors brought with them African slaves, and the islands' population became mixed with elements of both races. Climate conditions made the islands inhospitable, and the Portuguese governments mostly ignored the inhabitants and the frequent droughts and famines that wracked the islands periodically. As a result, there are now more Cape Verdeans abroad than at home, and sizable communities exist in New England, Portugal, Wales, Senegal, Italy, France and the Netherlands.
Ethnic Racial Composition:
* 71% Mulatto
* 28% Black
* 1% White
People:
The Cape Verde archipelago was uninhabited when the Portuguese discovered it in 1456. African slaves were brought to the islands to work on Portuguese plantations. Most Cape Verdeans are mulattos (mestiços in Portuguese), who have mixed African and European origins; another term is creole meaning mixed native African and native European descent. A lot of these Cape Verdeans have emigrated elsewhere, mainly to the United States and Europe.
European ancestors include Spanish and Italian seamen who were granted land by the Portuguese Empire, followed by Portuguese settlers and exiles, as well as Portuguese Muslims and Jews (both of these religious groups were victims of the Inquisition). Many foreigners from other parts of the world settled in Cape Verde as their permanent home. These people came from places such as the Netherlands, France, Britain, Arab countries (especially Lebanon and Morocco), China (especially from Macau), India, Indonesia, South America, North America and Brazil (including people of Portuguese and African descent) and were absorbed into the mestiço population. Cape Verde's population in the 21st century is mostly creole; the capital city Praia accounts for a quarter of the country's population. Over 65% of the population in the archipelago live in urban centers, and the literacy rate is around 87% (i.e., 91% among men aged 15 and above and 83% among women aged 15 and above) according to the 2013 Cape Verdean census.
Languages:
Portuguese is the official language of Cape Verde. They also speak Creole language known as Cape Verdean Creole in informal situations, and it is basically the mother tongue of virtually all Cape Verdeans. Cape Verdean Creole is based on Portuguese but with strong influences from West African languages, such as Mandingo, Wolof, Fulani, Temne, Balanta, Mandjak, etc... There also some minor influences from Spanish and French.
Religion:
Around 95% of the population are Christian. More than 85% of the population was nominally Roman Catholic in 2007. For a minority of the population, Catholicism is syncretized with African influences.
Economy:
Cape Verde is a small archipelagic nation that lacks resources and has experienced severe droughts. Agriculture is made difficult by lack of rain and is restricted to only four islands for most of the year. Most of the nation's GDP comes from the service industry. Cape Verde's economy has been steadily growing since the late 1990s, and it is now officially considered a country of average development, being only the second African country to have achieved such transition, after Botswana in 1994. Cape Verde has significant cooperation with Portugal at every level of the economy, which has led it to link its currency (the Cape Verdean escudo) first to the Portuguese escudo and, in 1999, to the euro. Some 30% of the population lives in poverty.
Sports:
Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Cape Verde and has been for many years.
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