With scenarios of rare beauty and idyllic landscapes dressed in green, you can discover a true paradise, and let yourself be taken by the taste of crystalline water beaches, which unite quietness and fullness. A journey of authenticity, a reunion with yourself and with nature.
© Nunkui
Located in the Atlantic Ocean near the Gulf of Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe comprehends the island of Sao Tome, the island of Principe, and about a dozen islets, the Isola das Rolas being its most known islet and, consequently, the most sought after by foreign tourists. Its volcanic origin is well visible in the hills, cones and peaks, the climate being hot and humid, with abundant rains and temperature variations between 21° C (69.8º F) and 31° C (87.8º F).
© Nunkui
With about 160 thousand inhabitants, the islands were uninhabited until 1470, when the Portuguese navigators João de Santarém and Pedro Escobar discovered them. Agriculture was only stimulated in the archipelago in the 19th century, with the cultivation of cocoa and coffee, and this was ascribed to João Baptista da Silva Lagos.
William Cadbury, the British man responsible for the powerful Cadbury chocolate industry, was also present in Sao Tome and Principe.
© Nunkui
But the contemporary master of cocoa who does wonders with the fruit, and has already earned worldwide fame, is none less than Claudio Corallo. Yes! We could not fail to make an informal meeting with the founder himself. With 40 years of experience in the production of coffee and chocolate, Claudio worked mainly in Africa and, during shorter periods, in Latin America (Bolivia).
In 1974, by the age of 23, he moved to Zaire and, after several years working in the coffee industry, he acquired his own plantations in the center of the country. In the best years, the production was about 880 tons of the highest quality coffee, which was exported and enjoyed all over the world. When the political situation in Zaire began to deteriorate in the 1990s, Corallo began working in Sao Tome and Principe. Initially, his goal was to use his vast knowledge of coffee production to produce cocoa.
Currently, the result is a chocolate that is one of a kind in the world. Not only because it is the only truly made chocolate from the ‘’plantation to the bar’’, but also because it is the purest chocolate in the market. The Italian with an African soul has always believed that the only way to create great products is to do so in harmony with the environment, with nature and with the people who live there. We have proven his “truth”.
© Nunkui
But the reasons that make Sao Tome and Principe such a magical place are far from over. With an extremely rich culture derived from the miscegenation of different regions of Africa, Brazil, Holland, as well as Portugal, the result could only be a cultural expression with its very own and fascinating characteristics. When it comes to gastronomy, there is an extremely rich universe for the palate, in which the main actors are the native fruits, namely: breadfruit, chilli, okra, fuba, gimboa, cassava, sweet potato, matabala, silver-banana, gold-banana, bread-banana, among other delicacies to die for.
© Nunkui
It is impossible not to talk about the mythical “micocó” leaf, so present in both culture and cuisine, used as an aphrodisiac infusion in the heat of the tropical night …
A real ex-libris for the locals and for curious tourists.
And who doesn’t remember the television show “Na Roça com os Tachos” also turned into a book? It gave the islands’ cuisine an enormous notoriety thanks to the famous dishes of the enigmatic Chef João Carlos Silva.
The passion for pots and pans is in his blood, as is the love for the culture.
© Nunkui
Founder and mentor of cultural spaces such as “Teia de Artes” and “CACAU”; and president of the Art and Culture Biennial of São Tomé and Príncipe, João Carlos Silva is the soul of Roça de São João dos Angolares (an inn dedicated to gastronomic, cultural and environmental tourism). There, we can experience with our own eyes and palate the irreverence of this incredible human being who works magic with the pots. To the local youth, it gives them training and discipline to become autonomous and recreate a true author’s cuisine. As for us, we had the tasting experience, and we absolutely had to surrender.
© Nunkui
The image that surrounds us in those islands is undoubtedly one of the most distinctive and enchanting features of this paradise on earth. Every beach, every farm and every mundane scene just “begs” for a photograph. The people’s friendliness is “breath-taking,” as well as the colors and the clarity of light which accentuate a pure beauty, compared to very few places in the world.
Other paths will lead to the vast biodiversity present in São Tomé and Príncipe. These small islands fulfill the fascination of countless naturalists, whose isolation from the rest of the world has allowed them to generate unique species that are not found in any other part of the globe. In 2012, UNESCO declared the island of Principe as a World Biosphere Reserve.
© Nunkui
As for the flowers, it is important to point out the beauty of the Sao Tome orchids, and to extol the most coveted tropical flower of the country: the porcelain rose. There are very few like it.
Last but not least, the pure and true joy of its people was undoubtedly a lesson for life and an authentic gift. I will never forget São Tomé and Príncipe’s motto of life: “Leve-leve (take it lightly).”
© aidnature
