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Pastel de Nata (Portuguese: Pastéis de Nata) or
Pastel de Belém is a type of egg tart found throughout Portugal's pastry shops
or cafés. |
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Left: The original Pastéis
de Belém, in Lisbon. |
It is believed that it was created before the 18th century by Catholic Monks at
the Jerónimos Monastery of Belém, in
Lisbon. The Casa Pastéis de Belém in Lisbon was the first place outside the
convent selling the original creamy dessert, after the monastery was closed in
1820s, and there they are called Pastéis de Belém, after
the name of the area and its famous bakery. Since 1837, locals have gone there
to get them warm out of the oven and sprinkled with the cinnamon and powdered
sugar.
The recipe has, over generations, received some alteration by various
pastelarias ("cake shops") and padarias ("bakeries") throughout Portugal. One of
these methods includes making the custard in a bain-marie (a bowl over boiling
water) rather than combining all the ingredients at once in a saucepan, although
some prefer the cream slightly "curdled" to give it a rustic appearance and an
unusual texture.
