Vanilla is much more than a dessert ingredient in Papantla, a city in the Mexican state of Veracruz that was once famous for producing the spice. Local artisans braid the dark vanilla stems and several restaurants offer a variety of vanilla-infused dishes. Irma Cortés Ramírez, chef at Nakú, created Shrimp in Vanilla Sauce while experimenting in the kitchen of the Papantla restaurant. When she was a child in Papantla, she saw how her grandparents added vanilla to atole and chayote soup. The spice, she said, gives her shrimp dish “a touch of sweetness, a touch of love.”
Shrimp Recipe in Papantla Vanilla Sauce
