One of the most important aspects of Cape Verdean culture is the beverage grogue, a strong rum made from distilled sugar cane on the islands of Santo Antao and Santiago. The beverage is made in towns such as Paul on Santo Antao and Cidade Velha on Santiago using a trapiche. A variation of the drink is ponche which is sweetened with condensed milk or sugarcane molasses. Due to the intoxication on consuming grogue, it is consumed by many Cape Verdean musicians seeking inspiration. Corn and beans are staples of Cape Verdean cuisine. Also popular are rice, fried potatoes, cassava and vegetables such as carrots, kale, squash, fish and meat such as tuna, sawfish, lobster, chicken, grilled pork and eggs. One legacy of the Portuguese on the islands is olives and Alentejo wines which are still imported. Cachupa, a stew is considered the national dish of Cape Verde which includes mashed maize, onions, green bananas, manioc, sweet potatoes, squash and yams. Manioc balls are one of the most common in Cape Verde. Seafood dishes include baga and búzio cabra, made out of the bubonian conch. In December 2002, the Cape Verdean government prohibited the killing of turtles by law, per their participation in the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1995 e a Convenção sobre Comercio Internacional de Espécies de Fauna e Flora Selvagem Ameaçadas de Extinção. The dish once popular on Santiago Island named turtle steak slowly no longer consumed. Strela is Cape Verde's most popular beer who started production in 2006, it superseded Portuguese beers including Super Bock and Sagres.
Arroz de cabidela de marisco а dadal – the rice seafood dish of the island of São Vicente
Bafa – a sort of "snack" made in many variety that is prepared quickly and can be eaten as a snack, as an entrée, or as a main dish, and usually accompanied by beer, wine, grogue, and usually in a festive manner.
Bafa - a dish with squid, fries and rice
Bibi-style shrimp dish, a sea snail
Cachupa - corn/maize dish, the national dish of Cape Verde, varieties include cachupa frita, cachupa guisada or cachupa refogada, meaning "fried cachupa" and two styles, cachupa rica tends to have more ingredients than the simpler, cachupa pobre.
Cabrito – young goat
Caldo de Peixe or "Calderado" - a fish dish with potato, pumpkin, carrots, vegetables, served with rice, tomato puree, corn puree
Percebes – bizarre-looking, finger-like barnacles, steamed in a large pot, and eaten by cracking off the end and peeling the skin to reveal the meat which is similar in texture to squid.
Cracas - another barnacle served still clinging to the rock with a slice of lemon and a long thin implement used for hooking out the cracas from its shell.
Polvo - octopus
Shrimp in garlic wine - shrimp dish
Turtle steak - no longer used today, then popular on the island of Santiago
Xerém - a corn dish served with a soup dish. The name etymology is of Arab origin and possibly of Yóruba origin
