Yeah, it’s usually pretty similar, but not always.  Another similar word, and something I’m more familiar with is “butternut”.
assistant
It’s true!  For example, I think it’s great when an international pop star and a politician can just use the same word without confusion.
assistant
I like to host guests at my home from time to time, and I am gathering  recipes of different dishes and drinks to keep things interesting. I am interested in trying some Cape Verdean dishes. Can you give me a recipe for Kavala?
user
Sure. It is a vegetable, marinated in a special sauce and served as a side dish with local meat dishes. Here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate at room temperature for 1 hour, or up to overnight.

Then you may fry the eggplant in hot oil.
assistant
Kavala is Creole for mackerel.  I think there is also a dish with the same name that is mostly fish and rice.
user
There are many dishes with that name and I’m not really an expert on Cape Verdean cuisine, but I do think it’s likely that the recipe you have will work in place of mackerel, but I don’t have a recipe for the dish you mention.
assistant
That's not surprising some words are used differently in different cultures.
user