Hop on Tram 15 from downtown’s Figueira Square or Comercio Square or take the railway train from Cais do Sodré to the small town of Belém for the creamiest, softest, (and oldest) custard-egg tarts in all of Portugal.
The Pastéis de Nata is a staple dessert and the small blue-tiled shop, Pastéis de Belém, in Belém is a master at making them – actually, they make 16,000 of them each day to be exact! The result is delicious, perfectly browned and sprinkled with cinnamon. They are all hand-made on site and served warm but if you go, be prepared for a queue which sometimes curves around the block.
Closer to town, the temptation for pastéis de nata is in every cafe and bakery front window. I hopped in and out from one to the next without any bit of guilt. If you can’t make it to Belém, go to Pastelaria Suiça across from Rossio metro in baixa chiado, downtown Lisbon.
Amen for natas
Medieval history has it that the Portuguese egg pastry was first invented by two Catholic sisters at the Jerónimos Monastery before the 18th century. Here, the convents used large quantities of egg whites for starching nuns’ clothes or clearing Port wine. They learned they could use the leftover yolks to whip up sweet treats. The Liberal Revolution in 1820, however, closed down the monastery but the religious clerics vowed to keep producing their pastries and selling them at Pastéis de Belém in hopes of raising money to rebuild their monastery, which is now a UNESCO world heritage site.
Secret Recipe
The clerics kept the original recipe heavily guarded, and now patented under the Oficina do Segredo, (the Secret Workshop!) The guards at the Secret Workshop sign a waiver and take an oath to not disclose what they know. Today, it’s a 170-year-old secret divulged only to three chefs in the family at one time. Geez, there is no way I could keep a secret longer than 5 minutes!
Do you have a favourite dessert?
Looks delicious and I am looking forward to traveling to Lisbon soon.
I will check that place out and have a munch 🙂
Why don’t Portuguese pastries get more publicity? They are EPIC in taste and creativity!
Omg! I love these tarts. I have only ever known them as Portuguese tarts, which is a ridiculous name really. Now I have a new destination for my bucket list.
Happy adventures,
Cybele x
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Oh my gosh! I hope they ship overseas because those look and sound so delicious! Pastries and baked goods are my weak spot so I would definitely be in that line first thing in the morning to have one (or four) with my coffee!
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Great Post! If I ever needed a reason to visit portugal, this is it…Yum!!
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Thanks Elle! Food is always a good reason to travel in my books 🙂
Oh yes, yes, yes, these are my favorite desserts in the world!!! We only just discovered these ourselves while in Portugal this summer and must have bought a dozen every day. I posted about them on my blog too!!
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It’s hard to avoid. They are in every bakery window shop you pass especially on Rua Augusta! Not the healthiest dessert but my taste buds love me for them 🙂
I had expected to love these but I was let down a bit. Not to my taste at all unfortunately. I did fall in love with Portugal though so all is good.;)
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It’s great to try different foods when we travel but of course you might not like them all. Good to know you’re open to trying different experiences Andrea! I think that’s much more valuable in itself 🙂