Baku Kitchen! An independent reference of traditional food

Guinea-Bissau

Guinea-Bissau’s food is built around portuguese-Kriol flavours: peanut and palm-fruit caldos over rice, mangrove oysters, cashew wine and abundant Atlantic fish. Look for Caldo de mancarra (chicken simmered in thick roasted-peanut sauce, served over rice), Caldo de chabéu (fish stewed in red palm-fruit pulp with okra, over rice) and Castanha de caju (cashews roasted over fire and cracked from their shells by hand). Mancarra is the Creole word for groundnut, from Mandinka; the peanut stew is shared across the Senegambia and eaten over rice at family meals. This atlas has 25 Guinea-Bissau dishes catalogued below, from everyday cooking to food kept for festivals and special occasions.

25 dishes.

Abacate recheado com atumAbacate recheado com atumHalved avocado filled with tuna, lime and grated coconutArroz de cocoArroz de cocoRice cooked in coconut milk until creamy, served with grilled fishBiandaBiandaboiled cassava, yam or plantain served under a sauce or stewBissapBissapDried hibiscus calyces steeped with sugar, mint or ginger and drunk very coldBolinhos de mandiocaBolinhos de mandiocaBalls of grated fermented cassava fried crisp and sold hot in conesCaldo de chabéuCaldo de chabéufish stewed in red palm-fruit pulp with okra, over riceCaldo de mancarraCaldo de mancarrachicken simmered in thick roasted-peanut sauce, served over riceCaldo de peixeCaldo de peixeFish soup with vegetables, cassava and green bananaCanaCanaartisanal sugarcane rum distilled in villagesCashew wineCashew wineSweet amber country wine fermented from cashew applesCastanha de cajuCastanha de cajucashews roasted over fire and cracked from their shells by handDoce de cocoDoce de cocoGrated coconut candy cooked with sugarFonioFonioFouta Djallon's featherlight steamed grain with leaf or peanut saucesGrilled fishGrilled fishFresh catch grilled over coals with chili and limeMafe de caracolMafe de caracolMangrove snails simmered in peanut sauce with bay leaf and pepperMangrove oystersMangrove oysterstidal oysters boiled or grilled, dipped in lime and chiliNetetuNetetufermented locust-bean seeds pounded into stews for pungent depthPalm winePalm wineSweet-then-sour sap tapped from the oil palm, drunk the day it runsPapa de milhoPapa de milhomaize or millet porridge sweetened and sharpened with limePeixe secoPeixe secofish and small shark sun-dried on racks, torn into stewsSigaSigaOkra and djagatu aubergine stewed in red palm oil with fish or meatSumo de cajuSumo de cajufresh juice pressed from cashew apples during the harvestSumo de gengibreSumo de gengibreChilled ginger juice sweetened and sharpened with lime or pineappleWargaWargaGreen tea brewed in three sweet rounds and poured foaming into small glassesYassaYassachicken marinated in lime, onion and mustard, grilled then stewed

  • Abacate recheado com atum

    Halved avocado filled with tuna, lime and grated coconut. Ready in 20 minutes prep and none cooking. Serves 4. A…

  • Arroz de coco

    Rice cooked in coconut milk until creamy, served with grilled fish. Ready in 10 minutes prep and 30 minutes cooking.…

  • Bianda

    Boiled cassava, yam or plantain served under a sauce or stew. Ready in 20 minutes prep and 35 minutes cooking.…

  • Bissap

    Dried hibiscus calyces steeped with sugar, mint or ginger and drunk very cold. Ready in 10 minutes prep and 15…

  • Bolinhos de mandioca

    Balls of grated fermented cassava fried crisp and sold hot in cones. Ready in 30 min prep and 25 min…

  • Caldo de peixe

    Fish soup with vegetables, cassava and green banana. Ready in 30 minutes prep and 45 minutes cooking. Serves 6. A…

  • Cana

    Artisanal sugarcane rum distilled in villages. A wine & spirit recipe from Guinea-Bissau.

  • Cashew wine

    Sweet amber country wine fermented from cashew apples. Ready in 1 hour prep and 20 minutes cooking. Makes about 4…

  • Doce de coco

    Grated coconut candy cooked with sugar. Ready in 20 minutes prep and 40 minutes cooking. Makes about 30 pieces. A…

  • Mafe de caracol

    Mangrove snails simmered in peanut sauce with bay leaf and pepper. Ready in 1 hour prep and 2 hours cooking.…