Pastel com Diabo Dentro
Also known as: Pastel com diabo, Pastel de atum, Pastry with the devil inside
Pastel com Diabo Dentro is a crisp Cape Verdean pastry of sweet potato and corn flour dough stuffed with spicy tuna, onion and tomato. The name means pastry with the devil inside, a reference to the fresh chilli. Each one costs $0.50 to $1.
| Dish type | Street food |
|---|---|
| Country | Cape Verde |
| Key ingredients | Sweet potato, Fine corn flour, Fresh tuna, Onion, Tomato, Garlic +2 more |
| Vegetarian | No |
| Spicy | Yes |
| Typical price | $0.50 to 1 each |
| Also known as | Pastel com diabo, Pastel de atum, Pastry with the devil inside |
| Served with | Strela beer, Fresh papaya or tamarind juice, A squeeze of lime |
The name promises more heat than it usually delivers, but pastel com diabo dentro, the pastry with the devil inside, is still the best snack in Cape Verde. The dough is the unusual part. Instead of wheat flour it is made from boiled, mashed sweet potato worked together with fine corn flour, which gives the shell a faintly sweet flavour and a texture that fries up crisp on the outside and slightly soft within. The filling is fresh tuna, the fish the islands have in abundance, cooked down with onion, tomato, garlic, a little bay leaf and enough fresh chilli to justify the name. The pastries are folded into half-moons, sealed, and deep fried until golden.
You will find them everywhere people gather: on trays carried through the streets of Praia's Plateau in the morning, at the beach in Santa Maria, at bus stations and outside schools, and in every padaria and cafe. They cost 50 to 100 escudos each, well under a dollar, and two or three make a light lunch. Eat them hot if you can, when the shell still shatters and the tuna filling is steaming. The sweetness of the potato dough against the sharp, warm tuna is what makes them addictive, and the chilli level varies enormously from cook to cook, so ask before you commit to a handful. Locals eat them with a cold Strela beer or a glass of fresh juice, and they travel well enough to be the classic snack for the ferry between islands.
How It's Eaten
Eaten by hand, hot from the fryer, as a street snack or light lunch. Two or three make a meal. Street vendors sell them from covered trays and cafes keep them in a warmer by the counter.
Cultural Context
Pastel com diabo dentro is one of the clearest expressions of Cape Verdean cooking: Portuguese pastry technique adapted to what the islands actually grow and catch. Tuna is the everyday fish, sweet potato and corn are the everyday starches, and chilli arrived through the Atlantic trade. The pastry is a fixture of festivals, family parties and the diaspora, where Cape Verdean bakeries in Lisbon and New England sell it alongside Portuguese pasteis.
Variations
Pastel de atum
The same tuna pastry made mild, without the chilli, common in bakeries.
Pastel de milho
A version using only corn flour in the dough, with a coarser, crunchier shell.
Where to Try Pastel com Diabo Dentro
praia
Street vendors on the Plateau in the morning, Padarias around Sucupira market
santa maria
Vendors along the beach and pier in the late afternoon, Cafes on the main square
mindelo
Stalls near the Mercado Municipal, Cafes along Rua de Lisboa
Frequently Asked Questions
What is pastel com diabo dentro?
Pastel com diabo dentro is a Cape Verdean fried pastry filled with spicy tuna, onion and tomato. The dough is made from mashed sweet potato and corn flour rather than wheat, and the name means pastry with the devil inside, referring to the chilli in the filling.
Is pastel com diabo dentro very spicy?
Usually only mildly hot. The devil in the name refers to fresh chilli in the tuna filling, but most cooks use it sparingly. Heat varies from vendor to vendor, so ask before buying several.
What does pastel com diabo dentro taste like?
A crisp shell with a faint sweetness from the sweet potato dough, around a warm, savoury tuna filling brightened with tomato and onion and a gentle chilli kick. It is closest to a spicy tuna empanada.
How much does pastel com diabo dentro cost?
About 50 to 100 Cape Verdean escudos each, roughly $0.50 to 1, from street vendors and bakeries. Prices in tourist cafes on Sal are a little higher.