10 Must Try Foods in Angola
Angola is probably not on your culinary bucket list, but with a tropical climate, seas filled with fish, spices galore and a Portuguese influence, food here is honestly top notch. If you are travelling around or just hitting up Luanda. These are our top 10 foods to try when visiting Angola.
1. Calulu
Calalu is a local fish stew. It is often made with both fresh and dried fish and sometimes meat, but fish is the most common version you will find. The stew is also filled with greens such as casava leaves, peppers, sometimes okra and also tomatoes. Calulu will be served often alongside beans and s starch such as rice or funge.
2. Funge
Every country in Africa seems to have their own version of a big squishy doughy balls that you rip pieces off and eat with your hands. In west Africa you have fufu, in east Africa you have ugali and in Angola they call it funge. There are two main versions of this called “funje de bombo” made with a fermented grain or “funge de mais” made mainly out of corn and with a yellowish colour.
Funge made with the fermented grain has a slight sour taste and is lighter or more pale in colour, while funge made with corn is often yellow and has less of a sour flavour. This is the most common side dish you will get in Angola and is often served with chicken, fish or meat.
3. Catato
This is for the adventurous people out there. These are the caterpillars of the emperor moth which are fried and served with chilli. You can find these dried in supermarkets and are as common as onions and garlic! You can also find people selling them in the street where they will add a dollop of a vinegar chilli sauce. The flavour is fairly earthy and not super strong. It’s definitely worth trying at least once! Who knows, maybe this high protein snack will become your new popcorn.
4. Mufete
Mufete is arguably the national dish of Angola and is absolutely delicious. Mufete consists of grilled fish with a tomato chilli salsa served with beans and casava. You will find different variations of this around Angola based on the types of fish they have available. Some of the best and cheapest versions of this can be found on Ilha de Luanda along the beach where local will set up bbqs and plastic chairs selling hundreds of plates a day! Mufete is also fantastic with river fish in places like Dondo which has many restaurants serving Mufete along the Kwanza river.
5. Muamba de galinha
Muamba de Galinha is a tasty hearty chicken dish often made with peanuts and chillies and is similar to maafe found in west Africa. Muamba is often served with a side of funge and is a common lunch meal to find around Luanda for a decent price. We highly recommend this dish, especially if you a fan of peanut stews.
6. Bifana
Bifana is not a traditional Angolan dish, however due to the portguese colonial history there are shops that sell them still all-around Luanda. Bifana refers to thin slices of pork that are marinated and then slopped into a crusty white bread roll with a slathering of mustard. If you’re not salivating yet, you will be when you smell it. They are simple and addictive!
7. Kizaca
This one is for the vegetarians out there. This is the most common vegetable side dish you can find in the country and is made from casava leaves mixed with peanuts into a sort of green mush. This dish also has its origins in Angola’s colonial past with casava leaves being brought over from Brazil. This is often served as a side dish with fish or meat and sometimes is also made using spinach leaves.
8. Pastel de nata
This is another dish that isn’t
traditionally Angola and that we can thank the Portguese for. Pastel de nata are also known as Portuguese custard tarts and can be found throughout the city at the many panaderias or bakeries. They are best eaten when fresh and warm as the base will be crispy and the inside hot gooey and sweet. We love an egg custard tart.
9. Fejoada
Fejoada is a heavy hearty stew often associated with Brazilian cuisine, but it is also veru common in Angola although slightly different to the stew found in Brazil. Angolan fejoada will usually have sausage, chicken, beans and will be served with a side of rice. If you plan on eating fejoada, it is a good idea to plan for a nap afterwards as this meat-heavy stew will knock you out! If Angola ever got super cold this would be evern more perfect.
10. Cachupa
Cachupa is another heavy stew which takes a long time to prepare. Often this is served on weekends due to how long it takes to make. The stew which has a base of cornmeal and beans is often cooked with meats such as bacon and sausage and greens like casava leaves are also added. Cachupa is common both in Angola and Cape Verde although each version is slightly different. It is believed that the word cachupa comes from the local Angolan Kimbundu language meaning “cornmeal mush”.
Angola is opening up to tourism after having a difficult visa for years and so now is a great time to start exploring. While we currently don’t run group tours to Angola, we do have many new group tours in Africa so check out where we do go in Africa on
our website here.