Fogo - Volcano, Coffee and Wine
It is one of the volcanic islands of the Cape Verdean archipelago and is home to the active volcano Pico do Fogo. The small Kapverdian island has volcanic soil, ideal for cultivating wine and coffee. It is also known for its picturesque villages.
Fogo – The Fire Island
The island of Fogo, with its 40,000 inhabitants, is basically a volcano. With an area of 476 square kilometers, it is the fourth largest island after Santiago, Santo Antão, and Boa Vista. Pico de Fogo, with a height of 2,829 meters, is the highest mountain in the Cape Verdean archipelago. The last three eruptions took place in 1951, 1995 and 2014.
There are old craters that surround the mountain and provide a nice view. The volcano’s central crater is 500 meters in diameter and 180 meters deep and still ejects hot sulfur. As far as the climate is concerned, the altitude, the volcano, and the winds are the main factors influencing Fogo Island’s climate. The island has a strong microclimatic differentiation. At the coast, the lowest part of the island, the climate is dry and very hot, for example, in the city of São Filipe, which is considered the hottest city in Cape Verde. With increasing altitude, temperatures decrease, and rainfall increases.
The island of Fogo has a significant agricultural potential. It is known for its famous coffee, grown mainly in the higher areas of Mosteiros, its cheese, its tasty fruits and its famous Manecon wine. Today, with the industrialization of production, several wine brands are on the market, among which Chã, Sodade, and Maria Chaves stand out.
Tourism has become one of the most essential assets for the island’s development. It is attractive not only because of its majestic volcano and vast crater but also because of its caves and the routes its beautiful mountains offer to lovers of mountaineering and nature.
Satellite view Fogo
Pico de Fogo
São Filipe Nossa Senhora da Conceição
Nossa Senhora da Conceição, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cape Verde Fogo Park
Cape Verde Fogo Park, CC BY-SA 3.0
The Island Capital São Filipe
São Filipe is the largest city on Fogo Island and the fourth largest city in the Cape Verde Islands. It houses the island’s airport and lies on a black lava beach with high cliffs. The Alto San Pedro is an elongated square separating the lower and upper towns. In the lower part of the city are the town hall, magnificent mansions, and the church of Nossa Senhora de Conceição, with its bright blue façade and tiny, colorful houses. A staircase leads to the beach from the city, where the southern section is recommended, as it is cleaner.
Swimming on the beach below the city is discouraged, as the currents can be dangerous. A better place to swim is Ponta da Salina, a rocky beach surrounded by cliffs that overlook the ocean. From São Filipe, follow the east coast north to São Jorge.
In Cova Figueira, there are many colorful houses. On the way from Cova Figueira to São Felipe, one can experience a rural idyll and see volcanoes and wild figs. From Cova Figueira, it is worth taking a trip to Mosteiros, a picturesque village by the sea. Through the lush green countryside, past orchards, to Tinteira, whose houses are built of lava stone. In the northernmost part of the island, the village of Ribeira Ilhéu offers a glimpse of Fogo’s most traditional life.
Lava fields and agriculture
At first glance, lava fields may not seem ideal for growing food, but the opposite is true. An example is the small village of Chã das Caldeiras, a caldera in the middle of the volcanoes. Before the last eruption in 2014, about 1,000 people lived in the four villages: Bangaeira, Portela, Boca Fonte, and Cova Tina. They lived mainly from agriculture, cattle raising, and tourism. Here, there is neither a power connection nor running water. Instead, rainwater is collected, and recently, electricity generators have been used for a bit of comfort.
The tiny houses are built on the old lava fields. During the last eruption, the lava destroyed many of the houses. Only about half of them were rebuilt. The rich volcanic soil at the crater’s edge is ideal for growing fruit and vegetables. Wine lovers may be surprised to learn that Cabo Verde is much closer to the equator than any other wine region in the world, but since the caldera is more than 1,700 meters above sea level, this is an ideal growing area.
The small village is also the ideal starting point for a hike to Pico de Fogo. It takes about 5-6 hours to climb the 1,000 meters to the summit. The entire caldera, about 67 square kilometers, is a protected area as part of the Fogo Natural Park (Parque Natural do Fogo), a cooperation between the German and Cape Verdean governments.
The history of wine on Fogo
When the French diplomat Comte de Montrond stopped on Fogo in 1870 on his way to Brazil, he brought the vines that marked the beginning of wine production (Vinho de Fogo) in the Caldera. More than 150 years later, the Chã wines are still highly regarded. Thanks to the unique soil, they are full-bodied and colorful. They are often compared to Sicilian grapes grown on the slopes of Mount Aetna, an active volcano on the Italian island. On the Cape Verde Islands, wine is only commercially grown on Foga. There are also coffee plantations on Santiago and Santo Antão.
But wine is not the only flourishing agricultural product on Fogo. Lava fields give way to lush vegetation in the outer caldera, with ancient coffee trees growing among papayas and bananas.
Coffee on Ilha do Fogo
In the Cape Verde Islands, coffee is mainly grown on the islands of Santiago and Fogo. On both islands, there are coffee plantations that local farmers manage. Coffee growing is an essential economic activity in the Cape Verde Islands. On Fogo, coffee is grown mainly around the town of São Filipe. The coffee plantations tend to be slightly larger than those on Santiago and are run by local farmers who grow coffee for their own use and for sale. Fogo is much more than coffee. It is a story of lava flows and smiling faces, complicated roads, and farmers braving the elements.
On the Cape Verde Islands, Arabica coffee beans are the main crop. Arabica coffee beans are smaller and have an oval shape compared to Robusta coffee beans, which are larger and more rounded. Arabica coffee beans also have a lower caffeine content than Robusta coffee beans.
- Catuai coffee has a light color and is mild and sweet in taste.
- The Caturra coffee is light brown, fruity, and sweet in taste.
- Bourbon coffee is dark brown and rich in aroma and flavor.
It is not entirely clear how the coffee plant came to Fogo, but it has undoubtedly been cultivated there for at least 300 years. It probably all started with a small Arabica plant that a Portuguese settler brought back from Africa.
It is still a pure Arabica coffee, grown organically and appreciated by many. It grows in the north of the island between 3,000 and 5,000 feet on black basalt rocks called lapilli and is often grown according to the same principles as wine. During the night, moisture condenses on the walls of the lapilli and slowly drips into the hole where the plant grows, nourishing it.
The resulting coffee has a delightful, slightly acidic taste, a full body, and a velvety aftertaste. The aroma ranges from chocolate to tropical fruits, red berries, and lemon.
It is not easy to find coffee farms, especially if you do not have a guidebook or do not speak Portuguese well. The best way to learn more about coffee growing on Fogo is to visit the Museu do Café do Fogo.
Where to buy Fogo coffee
Compared to many other coffee plantations, the farms on Fogo appear unorganized. However, the coffee farmers are organized into cooperatives facilitating production and sharing the harvest. The local brand, Fogo Coffee Spirit Ltd., Fogo Coffee Spirit Ltd. buys coffee from more than 100 producers with the goal of establishing sustainable agriculture on the island.
However, most coffee is exported overseas, where it is roasted and sold mainly as specialty coffee, so it can be challenging to find it directly on the island. Djarfogo on Sao Filipe will be one of the local cafes where you can drink and buy roasted coffee from Ilha do Fogo.
Recipe Tip: Cape Verdean Coffee Pudding
Ingredients for about four servings
- 4 eggs
- 200 ml sugared condensed milk
- 200 ml milk coffee
- 100 g sugar
- 100 ml freshly brewed Fogo coffee
- For a more robust coffee flavor, add more coffee to the pudding.
- For more sauce, simply make more of the coffee caramel.
Beat the eggs and mix with the condensed milk and the latte. Caramelize the sugar over low heat, stirring constantly. Pour in the freshly brewed coffee and continue stirring until the mixture forms a thick paste.
Pour the caramel and coffee mixture into the cake pan and swirl so that it completely coats the inside of the pan. Pour the egg mixture into the pan, cover with a towel, and place in a double boiler over low heat for about an hour.
Alternatively, you can bake it in the oven. To do this, preheat the oven to 140 degrees. Place the mixture in the bain-marie for about 45 minutes without covering. Leave to cool.
Video: Coffee pudding and Grogue distilled from sugar cane
Das Nationalgetränk: Grogue
Grogue ist ein alkoholisches Getränk, das auf den Kapverden hergestellt wird. Es wird aus Wein und Zucker hergestellt und hat einen hohen Alkoholgehalt. Grogue ist auf den Kapverden sehr beliebt und wird häufig bei Festen und Feierlichkeiten getrunken.
Die Herstellung von Grogue ist ein komplexer Prozess, der mehrere Schritte umfasst:
Weinbereitung: Zunächst wird Wein aus den lokalen Rebsorten hergestellt, wie zum Beispiel Verdelho, Malvasia, Tinta Negra und Bastardo. Der Wein wird dann in Fässern gelagert, um zu reifen und seine Aromen zu entwickeln.
Zuckerzugabe: Nach der Reifung des Weins wird Zucker hinzugefügt, um den Alkoholgehalt zu erhöhen und den Geschmack zu verändern.
Nach der Zugabe von Zucker wird der Wein gründlich gemischt, um sicherzustellen, dass der Zucker gleichmäßig verteilt ist. Anschließend wird der Grogue zur Gärung gebracht, wodurch sich der Alkoholgehalt weiter erhöht. Die Gärung dauert in der Regel mehrere Wochen, abhängig von den Bedingungen. Nach der Gärung wird der Grogue abgefüllt und ist bereit zum Verkauf.
Grogue wird auf den Kapverden hauptsächlich auf den Inseln Santiago und Fogo hergestellt. Auf Santiago wird Grogue hauptsächlich im Gebiet um die Stadt Tarrafal hergestellt, während auf Fogo Grogue hauptsächlich im Gebiet um die Stadt São Filipe hergestellt wird.
Es lohnt sich, während eines Besuchs auf den Kapverden einige der lokalen Grogues zu probieren und mehr über die Herstellung dieses beliebten Getränks zu erfahren.
Weitere Infos zu den anderen kapverdischen Inseln finden Sie in unserer Inselübersicht. Alles rund um die Einreise auf die Kapverden finden Sie in unserem Blog-Artikel!