A Tale of Two Dishes - Vatapá

"The glory of Bahian cuisine", "The most typical Bahian dish", "Bahia's definitive dish" - These are just a few of the many, many descriptions of the creamy, fragrant and evocative mixture of bread, coconut milk, peanuts or cashew nuts, dried shrimp and an almost-unlimited variety of other ingredients called vatapá. Firmly established as a central component in the Afro-Brazilian cuisine of the Brazilian state of Bahia, vatapá is today enjoyed throughout Brazil though everywhere it continues to be considered a Bahian dish.

Vatapá has long been celebrated as a culinary treasure in Bahia and an integral part of that states culture. In his novel "Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands" Brazilian author Jorge Amado extols the virtues of vatapá through the words of his cooking-school-teacher heroine Dona Flor speaking to her class, "Let's move to the stove: vatapá made of fish (or chicken) is a dish that requires both care and whimsy, the most most famous dish of Bahian cuisine. Take two whole heads of grouper, add salt, cilantro, garlic and onion, a few tomatoes plus some fresh lime juice..." and from there Amado continues to include an entire recipe for vatapá in his novel. The Bahian singer-songwriter Dorival Caymmi composed a paean to the dish titled, naturally, "Vatapá" which has become a Brazilian standard. They lyrics of his song include a list of essential ingredients for a successful  vatapá, including a Baiana (a black woman from Bahia) who "knows how to stir." Here's a video from YouTube of this marvelous song, as sung by Gal Costa:



The origins of vatapá are unknown, though all culinary historians agree that even if the basic concept came from Africa on board slave ships, it was developed in Bahia itself. The word come from Yoruba, an African language, where it means "a spicy seafood paste", yet the dish isn't part of contemporary African cooking. Most Bahian dishes that came fully developed from Africa are ritual foods in the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé, but vatapá has no part in the ceremonies of that religion.

The essential ingredients for vatapá, common to almost all recipes include stale bread, coconut milk, ground nuts and dried shrimp. And all recipes use one technique or another to create a thick sauce or paste. Beyond that, the variations are innumerable. However, over time two distinct, and distinctly different, dishes have developed, both called vatapá. One is the fairly thick homogenous paste that is an essential filling for the Bahian bean fritter called acarajé. The other is less homogenous, with chunks and pieces of the various ingredients in a thick sauce. It is served as a side dish in a Bahian meal, or as part of a Bahian buffet. Both are vatapá but they are quite different preparations. The next two posts on Flavors of Brazil will include recipes for both styles of vatapá.

RECIPE - Green Papaya Conserve (Doce de Mamão Verde)

Just like the cooks of Southeast Asia, Brazilian cooks often take advantage of the abundance of papaya (mamão) available to them to create dishes that employ the fruit in its green, or unripe, state. One of the classic preparations of Thai cooking is Som Tum, a spectacularly delicious (and usually spectacularly hot) green papaya salad. Green papayas can also be found in recipes from Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. When unripe, papayas are not sweet nor have they developed their interior colors - the seeds and the flesh are white; only later do the seeds become glossy charcoal-grey pearls and the flesh turn sunset orange or yellow. Because the natural sugars have not yet developed in green papayas, Asian cooks tend to make savory dishes from them. In contrast, Brazilian cooks normally use unripe papayas in the creation of sweets and desserts, adding sweetness from other sources. (Look here for a savory dish from Brazil that does use green papaya.)

One of the most traditional categories of Brazilian sweets or desserts is called simple doces, which literally means "sweets." A doce is made by cooking fruit for a very long time in a sugar syrup. During the process the sweet syrup completely penetrates the flesh of the fruit, and the syrup itself thickens as it evaporates. During colonial times doces were a practical and economical solution to the problem of how to preserve a bounteous harvest of fruit at a time when there was no refrigeration. Sugar is a natural preservative, and by preserving fruits in syrup these fruits would remain available throughout the year. Today, of course, refrigeration and freezing are alternative possibilities for preserving fruits, but Brazilians have developed a taste for these homemade preserves and they are still popular as desserts.

This recipe, from São Paulo state, incorporates grated green papaya flesh in just such a sugar syrup to create Doce de Mamão Verde. Green papayas are commonly available here in Brazil, but I've also seen them available in Latin and Asian markets in North America and Europe. This dessert can be served chilled or at room temperature - as is, or with a drizzle of heavy cream or coconut milk.
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RECIPE - Green Papaya Conserve (Doce de Mamão Verde)
serves 6

3 small, Hawaiian papayas, or 1 large papaya, very green
3 cups white granulated sugar
6 cups water
5 cloves
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With a sharp paring knife, score the papayas in the long direction in order to extract the sap or milk of the flesh. Place on large platter or cookie sheet and let rest for at least two hours. Thoroughly wash the papaya to remove all the sap, dry, and then peel them using a vegetable parer. Cut the peeled papaya in half, remove the white seeds, and then coarsely grate the flesh using the large holes of a grater. Wash the grated pulp in cold water, then squeeze to remove excess moisture.

Put the grated pulp in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water, then quickly bring to a boil over high heat. Drain. Put the pulp back in the saucepan, cover once more with cold water, and bring to a boil a second time and let boil for five minutes. Drain.

Place the pulp in a large bowl, cover with lukewarm water and let rest for four hours. Drain and reserve.

In a large heavy saucepan combine the sugar and 6 cups of water. Over medium-high heat bring to a boil, then add the drained papaya, reduce heat to very low and let cook for two and a half hours, stirring from time to time, until the fruit and syrup cook down and become thickened. Remove from the heat, pour into a heatproof bowl and let rest at room temperature for 24 hours.

The next day, return the papaya to a saucepan, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook until the fruit become transparent and the syrup thickens additionally. Don't stir. Remove from heat, put in heatproof bowl and let cool completely.

Once cooled, put in glass compote dish and serve.

Recipe translated and adapted from Cozinha Regional Brasileira by Abril Editora 

RECIPE - Papaya Flan (Pudim de Mamão)

For lovers of any type of custard, flan, or crème brûlée, this easy recipe for a papaya-flavored flan from Brazil makes a nice change. The flesh of the papaya gives the finished product both a lovely soft orange hue and a subtle but distinctive flavor of the fresh fruit.

This flan benefits from being made in a pan that has been coated with caramelized sugar, but it is not obligatory to do so. I've not included the instructions for making caramel and lining the pan, but you can find them here.

I've only made this dish using mamão formosa, the large Brazilian papaya, but I'm sure that any variety of papaya would give the same result.
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RECIPE - Papaya Flan (Pudim de Mamão)

1 1/3 cup cubed fresh papaya
1 1/3 cup sweetened evaporated milk
2/3 cup whole milk
3 eggs
boiling water for bain-marie
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Preheat the oven to 300F (150C).

In a small, preferably non-stick, saucepan, heat the cubes of papaya over low heat, stirring constantly and mashing the fruit. Cook until the flesh is slightly dried out and its juice evaporates. Do not let the fruit brown or burn. Reserve.

In a blender or food processor on low speed, combine the papaya, the evaporated milk and whole milk. Add the eggs, one at a time, blending constantly, until you have a homegenous mixture.

Pour the mixture into a glass or ceramic custard form (previously caramelized if desired). Place the form in a bain-marie, fill the bain-marie with boiling water to the depth of the mixture in the form and put the bain-marie in the preheated oven. Cook for approximately 1.5 to 2 hours, or until a toothpick inserted into the flan comes out dry and clean.

Remove from the oven, and remove the flan from the bain-marie. Allow to cool completely while at room temperature, then refrigerate if desired.

Serve at room temperature or chilled.

INGREDIENTS - Papaya (mamão)

Statistically, the most-commonly eaten fruit in Brazil is the banana, with average annual consumption of 75 lbs (35 kgs). I surely wouldn't dispute that number, and the mountainous displays of bananas in every supermarket and in every street market would seem to bear that statistic out. I don't have any figures, but I would guess that the total consumption for the papaya in Brazil isn't far behind. Brazil is without a doubt the world's largest producer of that fruit, and in recent years annual production of papayas has reached a staggering 1.8 million tons. That's a lot of papaya! Papaya is a valuable export crop for Brazil, and a significant percentage of the 1.8 million tons is shipped abroad, but domestic consumption is very high indeed.

The word for papaya in Brazilian Portuguese is mamão, which literally means "large breast" or a bit more vulgarly "big tit." According to etymological dictionaries, this name was given to the fruit because of the resemblance between the shape of a papaya and a human breast. I have a feeling that the name was nostalgically applied by the early Portuguese explorers of Brazil, who were often restricted to all-male company in the early years of colonization.

The fruit itself is a New World species, and botanical paleontologists think that it probably originated in Mexico. It had spread throughout the American tropics, however, long before the arrival of Europeans. It thrives today in almost every tropical area of the world, but only there, as it is highly sensitive to frost. The tree-like plant on which it grows has both male and female individuals, and both are required for fertilization.

mamão formosa

In Brazil, there are two main varieties of papaya - the mamão formosa (beautiful papaya) and the mamão papaia ("papaya" papaya). Both are available year-round, like the other "champion fruit" of Brazil, the banana. The larger of the two, the mamão formosa is elongated and shaped like a rounded-off log. It is green when immature turning golden-red when ripe. It's flesh is a bright reddish-orange, often attaining a vermilion color. It often has a limited number of the papaya's characteristic caviar-like glossy seeds. The mamão papaia is smaller, often capable of being held in the palm of a hand, and much more pear-shaped. It's skin, when ripe, is more yellow than red, and the flesh is a yellowish-orange rather than a reddish one. It often has a much larger percentage of its interior given over to seeds than does the .

Normally the mamão formosa is much cheaper than mamão papaia, at least in my home city of Fortaleza. Compared to North America, where papaya is an exotic and high-priced fruit, all papayas are cheap in Brazil, but the mamão formosa is especially so. For most of the year it's price in the local supermarket is about R$0.80 to $R1.00/kg. That works out to approximately USD $0.50 to $0.60/kg or somewhere between 22 and 27 cents per pound. The mamão papaia is usually about 2.5 or 3 times more expensive, but at that price it's still below a dollar per pound.

mamão papaia

Eating papaya is primarily associated with breakfast in Brazil, and it's as much a part of breakfast as is coffee or bread. I rarely start the day without a large piece of papaya. It keeps well in the fridge for up to a week once it's ripe, and preparing a simple piece of the fruit, with a wedge of lime to sprinkle over, is quick and easy and can be done by the time the water is boiling for the coffee. There are some specific Brazilian recipes for the fruit, however, and the next couple of posts on Flavors of Brazil will feature the papaya. You can find an earlier papaya recipe from this blog by clicking here.

TASTE-TEST - Guaraná Jesus

Back in May, Guaraná Jesus, the iconic soft drink of the northeastern Brazilian state of Maranhão, was featured in this post on Flavors of Brazil. In its home territory, this locally-invented soft drink is reportedly more popular than either Coca-Cola or any of the national brands of Guaraná. Outside of Maranhão it is generally unobtainable unless it's been brought from there by a Guaraná Jesus-addict, or by someone who's suffering from homesickness for that remote state.

 In many ways Guaraná Jesus is like Vernor's Ginger Ale, which for most of its history was only distributed in its native Michigan and a few neighboring states, and which today still sells 80% of its volume in Michigan. You could say that Guaraná Jesus is to Maranhão what Vernor's is to Michigan, even more so.

The other day I went to a small shop that sells regionally produced food products here in Fortaleza. I was looking for some homestyle hot sauce as a birthday present for a friend. While perusing the shelves I spotted a bright pink-and-blue can of Guaraná Jesus. I'd never actually seen one, but I remembered the can from the photos I'd posted here earlier. I asked the clerk where it came from, and he told me that a friend of his had recently returned from Maranhão with a few cases of the drink, and that he was selling them (at a very nice price, I have to say).

I couldn't resist buying a can, as I'd never tasted the stuff myself - I'd only heard second-hand reports of what it tasted like. So, this morning, I decided to give Guaraná Jesus an official Flavors of Brazil taste-test. Here are the results:

Color: A truly shocking pink. It's a stronger color than I had been expecting based on the photos I'd seen. It's not a pale rose, it's a strong hot pink, verging on red in certain light.

Carbonization: The drink is very highly carbonated, with large CO2 bubbles in the glass. When poured, the drink doesn't develop a head, as Coca-Cola or other drinks sometimes do. The carbonization, to me, is similar to the way most lemon-lime soft drinks are carbonized.

Sweetness: Very intense. Like all Brazilian soft drinks, Guaraná Jesus is sweetened with cane sugar, not HFCS (high-fructose corn syrup). The label gives a calorie count for the 350 ml (12 oz) can as 170, which indicates a large quantity of sugar.

Flavor: Guaraná Jesus tastes nothing like the national brands of guaraná. The first flavor I picked up was a strong artificial-banana flavor, similar to the flavor of banana gum or banana popsicles. Next up, I detected some tutti-fruti (bubblegum flavor), and finally hints of spices - cinnamon and cloves. The flavor is complex, and the drink is highly flavored. 

Verdict: Interesting, but it wouldn't become a "beverage of your choice" for me.

I enjoyed drinking Guaraná Jesus, though for me I think it's a drink that I could only take in small quantities due to the combination of high sugar content and strong flavor. I'm sure that in larger quantities, it would quickly begin to cloy. I can't say it was a revelation for me, or that I'd buy more at premium price. Probably, since I wasn't born and raised in Maranhão, what I didn't detect in my taste test was nostalgia, and that's the ingredient that keeps the mystique of Guaraná Jesus alive.

RECIPE - Shrimp with Tomato Sauce (Camarão ao Molho de Tomate)

What's for dinner tonight? At my place, at least, it'll be shrimp with tomato sauce. I've got some guests coming over this evening for a Sunday supper and to watch the Brazilian presidential election results on TV. Being an election day, today is a "dry day" in Brazil, so I'll have to serve clandestine drinks to my friends. The common consensus is that current president Lula's anointed successor, a woman named Dilma Rousseff, will be elected in this second-round vote. She's shown to have an advantage in the neighborhood of 10-12% in most opinion polls. However, the polls also indicated she would win in the first round, which was a month ago, and that turned out not to be the case.

Even if Dilma's not a sure-bet to be elected, this simple and straightforward dish of shrimps cooked in a thick tomato sauce is statistically 100% likely to be served at tonight's dining table at my home. It's a favorite standby dish for an easy supper with guests. It doesn't take hours to prepare, it doesn't require exotic ingredients, yet it arrives at the table looking quite fancy and special.

This recipe comes from the small, historic northeastern city of João Pessoa, capital of the state of Paraíba. The short coastline of Paraíba is a stretch of sandy beaches, often backed by fresh or saltwater lagoons. The cuisine of this state relies heavily on crustaceans from both the open sea and the lagoons - shrimps, lobsters and crabs.

If you're making this dish, look for medium to medium-large shrimp. At that size, they will need to be deveined, but that extra step is worth the time and effort, and makes a much more appealing final dish.
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RECIPE - Shrimp with Tomato Sauce (Camarão ao Molho de Tomate)
Serves 4

For the tomato sauce:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
8 cloves garlic, crushed
4 Tbsp. butter
6 large ripe tomatoes, diced
2 large onions, thinly sliced
3 bay leaves
3 cups canned tomato sauce
salt to taste
2.5 cups water
1 cup all-purpose flour

For the shrimp:
1.5 lbs (600 gr) medium shrimp, cleaned and peeled
4 Tbsp. butter
1 small onion, grated
salte to taste
2 Tbsp. finely chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp. finely chopped green onion
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Make the tomato sauce: Combine the flour and 1.5 cups of the water (at room temperature). Stir or shake to mix until you have a consistent paste, without lumps. Reserve.

In a large heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter together until the butter is melted and the mixture is hot and bubbling. Add the diced onion and the garlic and sauté until the onions and garlic are softened and transparent, but not browned. Add in the chopped tomato, the sliced onion and the bay leaves, stirring to mix thoroughly. Then add the tomato sauce, 1 cup of the water, stir, then correct the seasoning with salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, then slowly add the flour and water paste, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Continue to cook and stir until the sauce thickens and loses its taste of flour. Reserve, keeping warm.

Make the shrimp: In a large pan, melt the butter, then add the shrimp, the onion, the cilantro and the green onion. Cook over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Then add the reserved tomato sauce, reduce heat, and cook with the pan partially covered for 5 more minutes.

Pour into a serving platter and serve immediately.

Recipe translated and adapted from Cozinha Regional Brazileira by Abril Editora

RECIPE - Brazilian Chicken Salad (Salpicão)

As mentioned in this earlier post on Flavors of Brazil, the Brazilian chicken salad called salpicão can be wonderful when it's homemade and light, and can be dreadful when it's a commercially made stodgy mess. Sort of like North American potato salad, which can range from heavenly to hellish depending on who made it and what kind of profit margin was desired.

This recipe from the Brazilian food blog Frango com Banana is a good example of a homestyle recipe for salpicão. Being a very traditional recipe it called for canned corn and canned peas - both standard ingredients in salpicão. I'm not a fan of either, so in my translation of the recipe, I've substituted fresh or frozen corn and peas. If you want to duplicate an authentic salpicão, please feel free to open a can of corn and one of peas instead and add them to the mix.

This recipe, like many such recipes for salads and cold dishes, is a guideline not a template. Feel free to substitute and modify. If you want the final product to be salpicão, however, you may NOT omit the packaged shoestring potatoes. They're what makes salpicão salpicão and what prevents it from just being chicken salad.

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RECIPE - Brazilian Chicken Salad (Salpicão)

1 whole chicken breast, boneless and skinless, poached, cooled and shredded
2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels, cooked and cooled
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peans, cooked and cooled
2 small green apples (Granny Smith or similar) cored, peeled an cubed
1/3 cup seedless raisins or sultanas
2 springs fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cup good-quality commercial or homemade mayonnaise
1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
1 standard package shoestring potatoes
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In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken, grated carrot, corn, peas, apples, raisins, parsley and red onion. Stir well with wooden spoon to combine. Add 1/2 of the package of shoestring potatoes, and stir again. Add the mayonnais and creme fraiche or sour cream, and stir until all ingredients are combined and coated with dressing. Taste for seasoning and and add salt and pepper to taste (remember that the shoestring potatoes and already salted, so be careful not to oversalt).

Put into a large serving bowl, or onto a serving platter, and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 package of shoestring potatoes over the top.