Pastel de nata (plural: pastéis de nata) is a Portuguese egg custard tart pastry, usually enjoyed with a dusting of cinnamon on top and accompanied with a bica (a strong espresso coffee). These delicious custard pastries are loved and eaten all over the world.
Pastéis de nata were created before the 18th century by Catholic monks at
the Hieronymites Monastery (Portuguese: Mosteiro dos Jerónimos) in the
civil parish of Saint Mary of Bethlehem, in Lisbon.[3] At the time,
convents and monasteries used large quantities of egg-whites for starching
clothes, such as friars and nuns' religious habits. It was quite common
for monasteries and convents to use the leftover egg yolks to make cakes
and pastries, resulting in the proliferation of sweet pastry recipes
throughout the continent. In the aftermath of the Liberal Revolution of
1820, following the dissolution of religious orders and in the face of the
impending closure of many convents and monasteries, the monks started
selling pastéis de nata at a nearby sugar refinery to bring in revenue. In
1834, the monastery was closed and the recipe sold to the sugar refinery,
whose owners in 1837 opened the Fábrica de Pastéis de Belém. The
descendants own the business to this day.[4] Since the opening of Fábrica
de Pastéis de Belém, the original recipe of the pastel de nata is kept in
a secret room. The recipe remains unchanged to this day and is known by
only a few. The Fábrica de Pastéis de Belém, remains the most popular
place to buy pastéis de nata around Lisbon. The shop is located just a
short three-minute walk from the Jerónimos Monastery. [5] The shop offers
both take out and sit in services and sells over 20,000 pastéis de nata a
day. In 2009 The Guardian listed pastéis de Belém as one of the 50 "best
things to eat" in the world and has over 50,000 reviews and ratings on
Trip Advisor for its iconic Pastel De Natas.[7][8] In 2011, following the
result of a public vote. Pastel de Belem was announced one of Portugal’s
Seven Wonders of Gastronomy.
Learn more about Pastéis de Nata here
Click here for the full recipe