- Glossary
- Vatapá - creamy paste from Bahia
Vatapá - creamy paste from Bahia
Vatapá is a thick creamy paste that is one of the pillars of Bahian cuisine. It is prepared from dried shrimp, coconut milk, ground peanuts (or cashews), bread soaked in milk, ginger, and dendê palm oil. All ingredients are slowly cooked and stirred until a smooth, fragrant golden paste forms. Vatapá is served as a side dish to acarajé, with rice, or as a main course.
- Vatapá has roots in West African cuisine and was brought to Brazil by enslaved people from present-day Benin.
- The main ingredients are dried shrimp, peanuts, coconut milk, and dendê palm oil.
- Vatapá also serves as a filling for acarajé, complementing the fried bean fritters.
- In northeastern Brazil, vatapá is sometimes prepared with fish instead of shrimp.
Ad
