Vatapá, the golden cream of daily Bahian life
A creamy, golden cream of soaked bread, coconut milk, dried shrimp, ginger, peanuts and cashew nuts, bound with red palm oil. Smooth, deep and comforting, served on white rice.
A creamy, golden cream of soaked bread, coconut milk, dried shrimp, ginger, peanuts and cashew nuts, bound with red palm oil. Smooth, deep and comforting, served on white rice.
Vatapá is the dish I make myself, far from home, when saudade takes me. You soak the bread, you pound the shrimp, the cashews, the ginger, and you stir, stir without stopping over low heat until it becomes this golden cream that smells of Africa and the sea. It takes arm strength and patience — but at the first spoonful, I close my eyes and I'm back in Santo Amaro. It's my way of not losing the thread.
- •Stale bread — a few soaked slices (binder of the cream)
- •Coconut milk — the milk of one coconut (sweetness)
- •Dried shrimp — a good handful (deep umami)
- •Peanuts and cashew nuts — roasted and pounded (body and richness)
- •Ginger, onion, red palm oil — to taste (flavor and binding)
Vatapá, the golden cream of daily Bahian life
A creamy, golden cream of soaked bread, coconut milk, dried shrimp, ginger, peanuts and cashew nuts, bound with red palm oil. Smooth, deep and comforting, served on white rice.
Why this dish? Vatapá accompanies acarajé but is also eaten alone, on rice, in Bahian homes. It is the everyday food of Caetano's childhood, the one he makes himself in São Paulo or London to keep the thread of his roots.
Vatapá is the dish I make myself, far from home, when saudade takes me. You soak the bread, you pound the shrimp, the cashews, the ginger, and you stir, stir without stopping over low heat until it becomes this golden cream that smells of Africa and the sea. It takes arm strength and patience — but at the first spoonful, I close my eyes and I'm back in Santo Amaro. It's my way of not losing the thread.
Ingredients (period version)
- Stale bread — a few soaked slices (binder of the cream)
- Coconut milk — the milk of one coconut (sweetness)
- Dried shrimp — a good handful (deep umami)
- Peanuts and cashew nuts — roasted and pounded (body and richness)
- Ginger, onion, red palm oil — to taste (flavor and binding)
Ingredients
- Stale white bread — 200 g (binder of the cream)
- Coconut milk — 400 ml (sweetness)
- Dried shrimp — 100 g (deep umami)
- Roasted peanuts + cashew nuts — 50 g + 50 g (body and richness)
- Fresh ginger, onion, red palm oil (dendê) — 1 piece + 1 onion + 2 tablespoons (flavor and binding)
Method
- Soak the bread in coconut milk until soft.
- Blend dried shrimp, peanuts, cashews, ginger and onion into a paste.
- Pour the soaked bread and paste into a saucepan, add a little water or coconut milk.
- Cook over low heat, stirring CONSTANTLY, until a thick, smooth cream forms.
- Stir in the dendê oil at the end for color and aroma; serve on white rice.
How it was made : Vatapá illustrates Bahian métissage: a base of bread and pounded nuts inherited from African and Portuguese cuisines, bound with dendê and coconut milk. It is found from northern Brazil to the Amazon, with local variations.
The contemporary twist : Plated as a smooth quenelle on the dish, sprinkled with crushed cashews, like a Northeastern chef's dish.
Caetano Veloso · Charactorium