Caldo Verde Portuguese Kale Soup

Caldo verde is a popular kale vegetable soup in Portuguese cuisine made in Africa’s Portuguese-speaking countries who share a common food heritage and language. 

PALOP Caldo Verde Portuguese Kale Soup

Six African countries called PALOPs, their Portuguese acronym Angola, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique and São Tomé e Principe are Portuguese speaking countries. 

Ingredients.

1 cup thinly sliced chorizo sausage.

1 pound kale, chopped finely.

1/3 cup olive oil.

1 medium onion, diced.

3 cloves garlic, minced.

2 cups white potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced.

8 cups water.

Salt and ground black pepper to taste.

 

Directions.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook onions and garlic in 2 tablespoons olive oil until slightly soft. Add all remaining ingredients and let boil for 20 minutes, until potatoes are mushy. Reduce heat, add kale and olive oil, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Serve with bread.

Why is the Portuguese food and language found on the African continent? From 1415 into the 1600's Portuguese traders were major trading partners with Native Africans along the pepper, gold and ivory coasts. Also the Portuguese traded along the slave coast and appropriated around 175,000 Africans and traded them to Europe and the Americas thus Portuguese is spoken in a number of African countries and is the official language in six; Angola, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique and São Tomé e Principe.