Local guide · Curaçao
Kadushi: Curaçao's Iconic Cactus Soup Explained
6 spots · updated May 27, 2026
Drive anywhere across Curaçao and you will see them: tall, columnar cacti lining the roads, crowding the hills, defining the island's skyline. This is kadushi — Cereus repandus — and it is not just part of the landscape. It is part of the kitchen.
- When
- No fixed season — ask around at local restaurants and soup spots. Best found on weekends or during local community events when traditional dishes are more common.
- Try
- Sopi di kadushi with carne saláSopi di mondongo (tripe soup — a close relative)Sopi di pampuna (pumpkin soup)Pan bati as a side with your soupAny rotating soup at Sopi Pa Bo
- Good for
- Cultural food seekersLocal food enthusiastsFirst-time visitors to Curaçao
Where to get them?
Order: most good reviews from locals first.
BCPrivatechefWillemstad ·· 827 reviews
KofihowzWest ·· 163 reviews
Restaurant & Toko Nos KruseroWest ·· 7 reviews
Sopi Pa Bo / Soup For You· 55 reviews
Toko CindyWest ·· 13 reviews
Batidos i SopiWillemstad ·fewer than 3 reviews yet
More about this guide
Sopi di kadushi is one of Curaçao's most distinctive traditional dishes. The inner flesh of the kadushi cactus is cooked down into a thick, slightly gelatinous soup that carries a mild, earthy flavour unlike anything else in the Caribbean. The preparation is labour-intensive — the spines are removed, the outer skin is peeled, and the flesh is slowly simmered — which is part of why it remains a dish associated with effort, tradition, and home cooking rather than fast food.
The soup is often made with salted meat (carne salá) or stewed pork alongside the cactus, which adds depth and body. Some versions include local herbs and root vegetables. The result is thick, filling, and deeply local — the kind of dish that immediately signals you are not eating tourist food. It sits in the same category as sopi di mondongo and sopi di pampuna as a cornerstone of Curaçaoan home cooking.
Finding sopi di kadushi on a menu requires some hunting. It is not a dish that appears in every snèk or restaurant — it is prepared when someone has the time and the knowledge to make it properly. Spots like Sopi Pa Bo / Soup For You on Weg Naar Westpunt are known for rotating traditional soups and are worth asking. Local restaurants in neighbourhoods away from the tourist centre — along roads like Weg Naar Westpunt and in the Banda Abou area — are your best bet for finding it fresh.
If you are visiting Curaçao and serious about eating locally, kadushi soup belongs on your list. It is a taste of the island's landscape, culture, and culinary identity all in one bowl.