Recipe
🥙 LUNCH
Feijoada à Santomense
Island beans simmered with red palm oil, smoked fish, and greens, the São Toméan take on Portuguese-Creole feijoada.
São Toméan · easy · serves 4
prep 15 min · cook 60 min
~535 cal · 36g protein · 66g carbs · 15g fat · 18g fiber · 5g sugars · 2g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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AI-generated illustration
São Tomé and Príncipe, the small Portuguese-speaking islands in the Gulf of Guinea, cook a feijoada all their own, a world away from the meat-heavy Brazilian version. Here the bean stew turns tropical and Creole, built on the red that flavors so much of the islands' food.
Beans are simmered until soft with onion, tomato, and garlic, deepened with smoked fish and a handful of local greens, and enriched with until the pot turns russet and savory. It is warming, thrifty, everyday food, served with rice or fried .
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, egg-, nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
2 cups dried beans, soaked
1/2 lb smoked fish, flaked
3 tbsp red
1 onion, chopped
2 tomato, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups spinach or other greens, chopped
to taste salt and black pepper
Instructions
1
Simmer the soaked beans in plenty of water until tender, about 45 minutes.
2
Soften the onion, garlic, and tomato in the palm oil into a rich base.
3
Stir the base into the beans along with the smoked fish and simmer to bring the flavors together, about 15 minutes.
✎ Chef’s note
Let some of the beans break down to thicken the stew naturally.
4
Add the greens and cook until wilted, then season with salt.
5
Serve with rice or fried breadfruit.
São Toméan home cooking.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
São Tomé. Sao Tome is an island capital cooking calulu, layered fish or meat with okra, aubergine, and leaves in palm oil. Portuguese and Angolan lines meet over breadfruit, cassava, and the cocoa and pepper the islands grow.
🗺️
São Tomé and Príncipe. São Tomé and Príncipe, the 'chocolate islands,' cook with cocoa, tropical fruit, and Atlantic fish, calulu stew, fried breadfruit, and palm-oil dishes. Portuguese-African roots define the equatorial island table.
🌍
Africa. The structure repeats across most of the continent: one starch and one sauce. A grain or root is cooked stiff, torn or rolled by hand, and used to carry a stew of leaves, groundnut, okra or fish, usually from a shared bowl and with the right hand. UNESCO listings have followed that logic, inscribing couscous in 2020 as a shared Maghreb tradition and Ivorian attieke in 2024.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from São Tomé and Príncipe
Calulu de PeixeA layered island stew of fish and leafy greens with okra and tomato in red palm oil.
Peixe GrelhadoWhole fish marinated in lime and garlic, grilled over charcoal and served with a fresh chili and herb molho de pimenta.
Arroz de FolhaSeasoned rice bloomed in red palm oil, parcelled in banana leaves and steamed until the leaf perfumes the grain, a festive Santomean dish.
Browse all São Tomé and Príncipe recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
Make it a São Tomé and Príncipe meal
Chocolate Quente de São ToméDrink
Sonhos de Banana (Banana Fritters)Dessert
Blá-Blá de PeixeDinner
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Frequently asked questions
What is Feijoada à Santomense?
Island beans simmered with red palm oil, smoked fish, and greens, the São Toméan take on Portuguese-Creole feijoada.
Where does Feijoada à Santomense come from?
Feijoada à Santomense is a São Toméan dish from São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe.
Can Feijoada à Santomense be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Feijoada à Santomense recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Feijoada à Santomense safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Feijoada à Santomense take to make?
About 75 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 60 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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