Eating at Home

A typical breakfast in Angola consists of bread and butter with either marmalade or cold cuts such as salami, prosciutto, or smoked portuguese ham. Some Angolans also eat different types of porridge made from either oats or casava flour. Lunch is the main meal of the day, served between noon and 2:00 p.m. A normal lunch might consist of meat, chicken or fish either fried in oil and garlic, or grilled. There are generally no sweet flavors used to cook the meat. Chicken, beef or squid stews are also often eaten over rice. A favorite Angolan lunch consists of fried steaks, french fries and rice. Both rice and pasta are never boiled in water alone but first cooked slowly in olive oil, garlic and onions, often with tomatoes thrown in for color. Seafood is also a large part of Angolan cuisine and is fileted, rolled in flour and fried in olive oil and garlic. One can easily buy shellfish daily at the beach. A fresh salad is included with either oil and vinegar or a creamy dressing.

For dessert, there fruits such as mango, papaya, and other tropical fruits, as well as homemade cakes. Often, adults will have a cocktail before lunch, or beer or wine with lunch. Others will have juice, water or soda with the meal and a cup of coffee after.

For some families, supper consists of a smaller version of the kind of food that was eaten for lunch. For other families, supper is only a snack. However, in all cases, the last meal of the day is lighter than lunch and generally eaten somewhere between 7:30 and 9:00 p.m.