About Angolan Food: most like it hot!


There was just one problem.


I was only 13 years old and I was homesick.



So what does this have to do with Angola?


Angola was a Portuguese colony for 300 years.

300 years!


Portugal’s influence on Angolan cuisine:

Spicy foods: Like Portugal, Angola uses a lot of hot spices. Habanero peppers are popularly used in meat and fish dishes.

Marinades: This European technique made isnow  used in Angola. Marinades make tough cuts of meat tender and flavorful.

Olive Oil: Although a lot of palm oil is used in Angola, the Portugese love of olive oil made its way into the cuisine as well.

Stews: Portuguese-style spicy soups are a mainstay.

A note on Brazil: Brazil was also a colony of Portugal. Many Brazilian foods and techniques were introduced to Angola by Portuguese colonizers.

Opt In Image
Hungry for more?
Be notified when National Geographic releases my memoir.

Simply fill in your details below.


  1. Grammie Sue aka Mom aka susan says:

    WOW! This is so interesting….
    Thanks for the geography lesson…and the story about your brownie saga in Paris! I am learning so much more every day…..

  2. Grammie Sue aka Mom aka susan says:

    When you guys were little, I used to make the creamcheese brownies….still have the great recipe…

  3. Brian S. says:

    Well, it worked. One recent writer says that “le brownie … has found its way into the hearts of sweets-loving Parisians” So Paris thanks you!!!

    With Portugal it just struck me that England and France had very little impact on their colonies’ food, but Spain and Portugal had a lot, not only in Latin America but also in Phillippines. In New York, some Chinese restaurants offer “Portuguese style” food, and what you get is curry! Since it was Portuguese merchants who brought it from India to China and Japan.

    What Portuguese and Spanish did that had the most impact: bring crops from one place to another. Think chili pepper, potato, cassava etc etc (Though I don’t think food in Portugal is really spicy hot, but maybe they used it as a substitute for super-expensive cloves, black pepper, etc, to flavor bad meat.)

    • lol Glad Parisians now appreciate the brownie! :)

      You make an interesting point about Portuguese food being curry because of the spice trade with India… so interesting how that happens!

      I found that Algerians still eat quite a bit of French foods – particularly the breads (baguette) thanks to colonization. Its probably a case by case thing…

  4. I lived in Sweden in 1993/1994 while I was in high school. My “oh, man, I need that now,” food was banana bread. I found an old Betty Crocker cookbook and started making banana bread for everyone. It was well received.

    Can’t wait to see the Angolan food!

  5. Such an interesting lesson on colonialism. What I find interesting (as a French person) is that in French and English colonies, the food has actually been incorporated in France and England. For example, you can thank North Africa for bringing spicier food to French palates. And the reason the Brits love curry is because of decades and decades of colonizing India.

  6. aunty eileen says:

    I love my Betty Crocker cookbook… It was my first cookbook and actually continues to be my favorite and most used…

Speak Your Mind